In an ever-evolving digital landscape, collection management societies (CMOs) face unique challenges in ensuring proper rights management and maximizing revenue from music usage. Consumer appetite for creating derivative works online has been increasing steadily, thanks to the availability of tools that make music creation and manipulation more accessible. The amount of user-generated content (UGC) uploaded daily, on top of other collection needs, means CMOs have to process huge amounts of data in order to manage their compositions.

Pex offers cutting-edge music identification solutions designed to meet CMO challenges head-on. As the leader in social media music tracking, Pex has mastered handling large amounts of data and can process 10,000 hours of content per minute. Our AI-powered technology can be integrated into existing workflows so existing operations are not disrupted. Here’s how Pex can empower CMOs to enhance their operations in the UGC era.

Pex identification capabilities

Other identification providers utilize audio identification at best, but Pex uses a suite of identification technologies which when combined, enable the most music to be identified, even cover songs, and other derivative versions. For CMOs, this means Pex can find even obscure uses of compositions regardless of lyric or language differences, voice or genre changes, or live recordings. 

Pex solutions for CMOs

Find more ISRCs

ISRC enrichment finds additional ISRCs to expand your composition clusters and increase reach on UGC platforms

One of the most significant obstacles for those managing compositions rights is the inability to keep track of new recordings associated with compositions as they are distributed. Pex’s ISRC enrichment solution is a game-changer, as it identifies additional ISRCs related to existing works. This capability allows CMOs to expand their composition clusters, and thus generate more revenue from their various collection channels, including UGC platforms.

How ISRC enrichment works:

1. CMO provides ISRCs: Using the provided works and ISRCs, Pex sources a media file (audio). Pex can process CWR files or any other desired format for delivery of data.

2. From the media files, Pex creates audio, melody and phonetic fingerprints. Audio matches recordings, melody and phonetic match compositions, such as cover versions.

3. Pex’s registry contains 100M+ recordings and by comparing the fingerprinted media files, we can find additional unknown ISRCs.

Monitor music use in user-generated content (UGC)

Identify new ISRCs when they’re used on UGC platforms and scan YouTube General Entertainment Files

With so much content being uploaded to social media daily, it can be challenging for CMOs to keep track of where their music is being used. Pex makes it possible to track music on social media platforms and has a UGC database of more than 25 billion pieces of audiovisual content. CMOs can send UGC links they want scanned so they are proactively identifying uses of their music, enabling them to manage rights effectively and optimize revenue collection.

How UGC tracking works:

1. When a platform sends a digital usage/sales report or YouTube General Entertainment files, the CMO shares those UGC links with Pex to identify any uses of the CMO’s compositions.

2. Pex uses its audio, melody and phonetic fingerprinting to identify any recordings, covers or live versions it can match to its 100M+ commercial music database.

3. Pex produces a report with all ISRCs identified in the UGC links as well as any covers or derivatives that have not been commercially released.

4. The CMO sends the platform an invoice for additional discovered works controlled by the CMO.

Determine platform music density

Identify music density on a platform to renegotiate the appropriate license

Understanding how prevalent music is on particular platforms is crucial for negotiating fair licenses. Pex provides insightful metrics regarding music density on various UGC platforms. This data offers CMOs a clearer picture of how much music content is being uploaded and how valuable their music is to a platform’s success. With this information in hand, CMOs can make informed decisions when renegotiating licensing agreements, ensuring that they not only protect their interests but also align with the current market dynamics.

Past music density analyses by Pex

• 85% of videos on TikTok contain music
• 58% of videos on Instagram contain music
• Nearly half of all Facebook videos contain music

How music density analysis works:

1. Pex has indexed more than 25 billion audio and video files from UGC platforms, and classifies files with “music” or “no music.”

2. Based on the size of the available platform dataset, Pex selects the best randomized sample size to be used for the analysis.

3. Pex produces a platform specific report highlighting the amount of music present on the platform.

Take down / stay down compliance

Verify the take down/stay down of works if licenses expire

Pex offers a verification solution for ensuring taken down works remain off a platform and are not reuploaded. This allows CMOs to confirm their works are no longer available on UGC platforms if the licensing terms have lapsed. By automating this verification process, Pex minimizes the risk of unauthorized use of music and helps maintain the integrity of the CMO’s repository.

How take down / stay down monitoring works:

1. CMO provides ISRCs: Using the provided works and ISRCs, Pex sources a media file.

2. From the media files, Pex creates audio, melody and phonetic fingerprints.

3. Pex looks for uses of the CMO’s works on platforms and refreshes any old data to provide live updates on platforms (take down/stay down verification).

4. Pex delivers daily reports showing which uses of compositions are live on the platform even after DMCA takedowns were issued.

Find additional revenue and protect your catalog with Pex

In a rapidly changing digital environment, collection management societies must embrace innovative solutions to safeguard their interests. Pex provides the tools needed to enhance ISRC identification, monitor UGC usage, analyze platform music density, and ensure take down / stay down compliance effectively, all while operating at the scale required nowadays. By leveraging Pex’s capabilities, CMOs can not only maximize their revenue streams but also streamline their operations, allowing them to focus on what truly matters—supporting the songwriters they represent and fostering a vibrant music ecosystem.

Reach out to our team to learn more about these solutions or run a test.