Methods and systems for identifying musical compositions in a sound recording and licensing the same

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a musical works administration service to digital music service providers (DSPs), to provide a streamlined approach for such DSPs to comply with copyright licensing, accounting, and reporting requirements. The service receives, from the DSP, information relating to sound recordings used by the DSP during a relevant time period. Using several matching techniques, the service identifies specific musical compositions embodied in each sound recording, and also determines corresponding publisher-share information. Subsequently, the service employs several mechanisms to attempt to obtain licenses for publisher-shares that are not already covered by preexisting client licenses. Based on the client's usage of such sound recordings and other related information, the service also performs accounting, reporting, and payment operations for the client. The service, in some instances, receives funds from the client and makes corresponding royalty payments (and makes accounting reports available) to the respective rights holders.

1 . A method for providing a musical-works administration service, the method comprising:
 receiving, at an administration server, client label metadata (CLM) from a client, the CLM including a plurality of identifiers associated with a client sound recording;   comparing, by the administration server, one or more identifiers of the plurality of identifiers of the client sound recording identified in the CLM against a corresponding set of registered identifiers stored in a publishing information database (PID);   based on the comparison, identifying a particular musical composition entry from the PID that corresponds to the client sound recording identified by a given CLM record; and   identifying, based on the information stored in association with the particular musical composition entry in the PID, one or more publisher-shares, wherein each publisher-share represents an entity holding a copyright interest in at least a portion of the particular musical composition embodied in such client sound recording.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of comparing one or more identifiers further comprises:
 comparing, by the administration server, a first subplurality of primary identifiers from the plurality of identifiers against a corresponding set of registered primary identifiers stored in the PID;   if the comparison based on the first subplurality of primary identifiers does not yield a positive match, then comparing, by the administration server, a second subplurality of extended identifiers from the plurality of identifiers against a corresponding set of registered extended identifiers stored in the PID; and   if the comparison based on the second subplurality of extended identifiers does not yield a positive match, then using a manual matching operation to match one or more of the plurality of identifiers of the given client CLM record against musical composition(s) identified in the PID, or potentially creating a new PID record as indicated by an external secondary source.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the external secondary source includes one or more of:
 an external publishing information data source; or   a secondary research information source.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the external publishing information data source includes one or more of:
 a library of congress database;   a collective rights organization database;   record label data; or   publisher data.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein data pertaining to the external publishing information data source is stored in the PID. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the secondary research information source includes one or more of:
 copyright research information;   publications research information; or   publisher communications information.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the manual matching operation further includes:
 presenting, to a manual researcher, a split-screen interface to aid in the matching of the sound recording identified in a given CLM record to the musical composition embodied in such sound recording, wherein a first section of the split-screen mechanism corresponds to a target sound recording identified in a given client CLM record and a second section of the split-screen mechanism corresponds to the entries corresponding to musical compositions sourced from secondary research information as having a valuable probability of representing musical compositions embodied in the target sound recording.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein data pertaining to the external secondary source is stored in the PID. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the first subplurality of primary identifiers of the client CLM includes one or more of:
 a title of the sound recording; or   an artist featured on the sound recording.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the second subplurality of extended identifiers includes one or more of:
 an album name of the sound recording;   a track duration of the sound recording;   a distributing label associated with the sound recording;   a record label associated with the sound recording;   an ISRC identifier of the sound recording;   an album UPC identifier associated with the sound recording;   an album disk number associated with the sound recording; or   an album disk track number associated with the sound recording.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 simultaneously executing, by the administration server, the comparisons for a plurality of CLM entries received from the client, each comparison executed by one of multiple process threads of the administration server.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 utilizing a management mechanism to manage resource allocations and CLM-entry checkouts for each of the multiple process threads.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein, prior to the step comparing the one or more identifiers, the method further comprises:
 normalizing the received CLM to a canonical format;   validating the normalized CLM to verify readability of the plurality of identifiers included in the CLM;   if the received CLM does not include a client identifier, attaching a client identifier to such CLM; and   integrating the received CLM into a CLM data structure.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein client accounting data transmitted by the client is received by the administration server, the client accounting data including one or more of:
 data regarding the usage of the sound recording during a first period of time;   data regarding the number of subscribers to the client's DSP during a second period of time;   data regarding the revenue of the client's DSP during a third period of time;   data regarding a payment from the client's DSP to labels for the use of sound recordings during a fourth period of time; and   data regarding a royalty payment made by the client's DSP to a Performing Rights Organization during a fifth period of time.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein, subsequent to matching a particular sound recording in the CLM to an entry in the PID, the method further comprises:
 inserting a new pivot record into a CLM pivot data structure to identify a successfully matched client CLM record, the pivot record including one or more of
 a client identifier; 
 a CLM identifier corresponding to the client sound recording; 
 a source identifier corresponding to the particular musical composition entry in the PID; or 
 a match confidence based on a deterministic strength of a match between the given client sound recording and the particular musical composition entry. 
   
     
     
         16 . A method for providing a musical-works administration service, the method comprising:
 receiving, at an administration server, client label metadata (CLM) from a client, the CLM including a plurality of identifiers associated with a client sound recording;   comparing, by the administration server, one or more identifiers of the plurality of identifiers in the client sound recording identified in the CLM against a corresponding set of registered identifiers stored in a publishing information database (PID);   based on the comparison, identifying a particular musical composition entry from the PID that corresponds to the CLM of the client sound recording;   identifying, based on the information stored in the PID, one or more publisher-shares corresponding to the client sound recording, wherein each publisher-share represents an entity holding a copyright interest in at least a portion of at least one musical composition embodied in the given client sound recording; and   executing a licensing function to acquire a license for each publisher-share that is not covered under a preexisting license.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the step of comparing one or more identifiers further comprises:
 comparing, by the administration server, a first subplurality of primary identifiers from the plurality of identifiers against a corresponding set of registered primary identifiers stored in the PID;   if the comparison based on the first subplurality of primary identifiers does not yield a positive match, then comparing, by the administration server, a second subplurality of extended identifiers from the plurality of identifiers against a corresponding set of registered extended identifiers stored in the PID; and   if the comparison based on the second subplurality of extended identifiers does not yield a positive match, then using a manual matching operation to match one or more of the plurality of identifiers of the client CLM against musical composition(s) identified in the PID, or potentially creating new PID records based on research in an external secondary source.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein, prior to the step comparing the one or more identifiers, the method further comprises:
 normalizing the received CLM to a canonical format;   validating the normalized CLM to verify readability of the plurality of identifiers included in the CLM;   if the received CLM does not include a client identifier, attaching the client identifier to the CLM; and   integrating the received CLM into a CLM data structure.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the step of executing a licensing function further comprises:
 evaluating whether the client has a preexisting agreement directly with the rights-holder of the given publisher-share;   wherein, if the client has an agreement directly with such rights-holder:
 designating the given publisher-share as currently licensed; 
   wherein if the client does not have an agreement directly with the rights holder for the given publisher-share: evaluating whether the client has a preexisting agreement with a collective rights organization;   wherein, if the client has an agreement with the collective rights organization:
 transmitting a license request to the collective rights organization, wherein the license request includes identifier information associated with the given publisher-share, and 
 receiving either a new license from the collective rights organization for the given publisher-share or a notification that the collective rights organization is not prepared to grant a new license for the given publisher share; 
   wherein, if the client does not have an agreement with the collective rights organization or if the collective rights organization is not prepared to grant a license for the given publisher-share:
 transmitting an NOI to the applicable rights-holder of the given publisher-share or such rights-holder's agent, and 
 subsequent to transmitting the NOI, designating the given publisher-share as currently licensed. 
   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 receiving, from the client, information related to the client's use of the sound recordings in the client's catalog over a given accounting period, the information representing the type and extent of the client's usage of the sound recordings in the catalog and data points for calculating an appropriate license royalty corresponding to such usage;   performing an accounting operation for the given time period to calculate a royalty rate associated with the usage of the sound recording; and   generating a royalty accounting report based on the results of the accounting operation.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising:
 transmitting a summary royalty accounting report to the client based on the client's use of the sound recording; and   requesting royalty funds from the client for the use.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , further comprising:
 making available a royalty report to each publishing rights-holder associated with the one or more publisher-shares of the musical composition embodied in the sound recording in the client's catalog; and   performing a payment operation to compensate each publishing rights-holder based on the client's use of the sound recording.   
     
     
         23 . A system for providing a musical-works administration service, the system comprising:
 a receiving module configured to receive client label metadata (CLM) from a client, the CLM including a plurality of identifiers associated with a client sound recording; and   a matching module in communication with the receiving module, the matching module configured to:
 compare one or more identifiers of the plurality of identifiers comprising each CLM record against a corresponding set of registered identifiers stored in a publishing information database (PID); 
 based on the comparison, identify a particular musical composition entry from the PID that corresponds to the client sound recording identified by a given CLM record; and 
 identify, based on the information stored in association with the musical composition entry in the PID, one or more publisher-shares, wherein each publisher-share represents an entity holding a copyright interest in at least a portion of the musical composition embodied in such client sound recording. 
   
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23 , for comparing one or more identifiers, wherein the matching module is further configured to:
 compare a first subplurality of primary identifiers from the plurality of identifiers against a corresponding set of registered primary identifiers stored in the PID;   if the comparison based on the first subplurality of primary identifiers does not yield a positive match, then to compare a second subplurality of extended identifiers from the plurality of identifiers against a corresponding set of registered extended identifiers stored in the PID; and   if the comparison based on the second subplurality of extended identifiers does not yield a positive match, then to use a manual matching operation to match one or more of the plurality of identifiers of the given client CLM record against the musical composition identified in the PID or potentially creating new PID records indicated by an external secondary source.   
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the external secondary source includes one or more of:
 an external publishing information data source; or   a secondary research information source.   
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the external publishing information data source includes one or more of:
 a library of congress database;   a collective rights organization database;   record label data; or   publisher data.   
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein data pertaining to the external publishing information data source is stored in the PID. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein the secondary research information source includes one or more of:
 copyright research information;   publications research information; or   publisher communications information.   
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein, to execute the manual matching operation, the matching module is further configured to:
 present, to a manual researcher, a split-screen interface to aid in the matching of the sound recording identified in a given CLM record to the musical composition embodied in the sound recording, wherein a first section of the split-screen mechanism corresponds to a target sound recording identified in a given client CLM record and a second section of the split-screen mechanism corresponds to the entries corresponding to musical compositions sourced from secondary research information as having a valuable probability of representing musical compositions embodied in the target sound recording.   
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 23 , further comprising an integration module in communication with the receiving module, the integration module configured to:
 normalize the received CLM to a canonical format;   validate the normalized CLM to verify readability of the plurality of identifiers included in the CLM;   if the received CLM records do not include a client identifier, attach a client identifier to the CLM; and   integrate the received CLM into a CLM data structure.   
     
     
         31 . A system for providing a musical-works administration service, the system comprising:
 a receiving module configured to receive client label metadata (CLM) from a client, the CLM including a plurality of identifiers associated with a client sound recording;   a matching module in communication with the receiving module, the matching module configured to:
 compare one or more identifiers of the plurality of identifiers of each client sound recording identified in the CLM against a corresponding set of registered identifiers stored in a publishing information database (PID); 
 based on the comparison, to identify a particular musical composition entry from the PID that correspond to the client sound recording identified by a given CLM record; and 
 identify, based on the information stored in association with the particular musical composition entry in the PID, one or more publisher-shares, wherein each publisher-share represents an entity holding a copyright interest in at least a portion of at least one musical composition embodied in such client sound recording; and 
   a licensing module configured to acquire a license for each publisher-share that is not covered under a preexisting license.   
     
     
         32 . The system of  claim 31 , for comparing one or more identifiers, wherein the matching module is further configured to:
 compare a first subplurality of primary identifiers from the plurality of identifiers against a corresponding set of registered primary identifiers stored in the PID;   if the comparison based on the first subplurality of primary identifiers does not yield a positive match, then to compare a second subplurality of extended identifiers from the plurality of identifiers against a corresponding set of registered extended identifiers stored in the PID; and   if the comparison based on the second subplurality of extended identifiers does not yield a positive match, then to use a manual matching operation to match one or more of the plurality of identifiers of the given client CLM record against musical composition identified in the PID, or potentially creating new PID records as indicated by an external secondary source.   
     
     
         33 . The system of  claim 31 , further comprising an integration module in communication with the receiving module, the integration module configured to:
 normalize the received CLM to a canonical format;   validate the normalized CLM to verify readability of the plurality of identifiers included in the CLM;   if the received CLM record does not include a client identifier, attach a new client identifier to the CLM; and   integrate the received CLM into a CLM data structure.   
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 31 , wherein the licensing module is further configured to:
 evaluate whether the client has a preexisting agreement directly with the rights-holder of the given publisher-share;   wherein, if the client has an agreement directly with the rights-holder:
 designate the given publisher-share as currently licensed; 
   wherein, if the client does not have an agreement directly with the rights-holder of the given publisher-share, evaluate whether the client has a preexisting agreement with a collective rights organization;   wherein, if the client has an agreement with the collective rights organization, the licensing module is configured to:
 transmit a license request to the collective rights organization, wherein the license request includes identifier information associated with the given publisher-share, and 
 receive either a new license from the collective rights organization for the given publisher-share, or a notification that the collective rights organization is not then prepared to grant a license for the given publisher-share; 
   wherein, if the client does not have an agreement with the collective rights organization or if the collective rights organization is not then prepared to grant the license for the given publisher-share, the licensing module is configured to:
 transmit an NOI to the rights-holder of the given publisher-share or the rights-holder's agent, and 
 subsequent to transmitting such NOI, designate the given publisher-share as currently licensed. 
   
     
     
         35 . The system of  claim 34 , further comprising an accounting module configured to:
 receive, from the client, information related to the client's use of the sound recordings in the client's catalog over a given accounting period, the information representing a type and extent of client's usage of the sound recordings in the catalog and data for calculating the appropriate license royalty corresponding to the usage;   perform an accounting operation for the given time period to calculate a royalty rate associated with the usage of such sound recordings; and   generate royalty accounting reports based on the results of the accounting operation.   
     
     
         36 . The system of  claim 35 , further comprising a payment module configured to:
 transmit a summary royalty accounting report to the client based on the client's use of the sound recordings in the client's catalog; and   request royalty funds from the client for the use; and   perform a payment operation to compensate each publishing rights-holder based on the client's use of the sound recordings in the client's catalog.