In December 2020, US PROs ASCAP and BMI launched a public performance copyright database called Songview, described at the time as a “groundbreaking collaboration” aimed to serve as a “comprehensive data resource for music users.”
A “landmark expansion” of the platform was announced on Monday (September 29), with data from all four major performing rights organizations in the United States – including ASCAP, BMI, GMR and SESAC – to be integrated into the Songview platform.
According to the four PROs, for the first time, the expanded Songview platform will feature information for over 38 million musical works licensed by the four major performing rights organizations in the United States, “offering the industry the most authoritative view of public performance copyright ownership and administration shares from a single source”.
Over the coming months, Songview will begin incorporating data from GMR and SESAC, starting with the addition of all 100%-owned works represented by GMR and SESAC.
In addition, according to Monday’s announcement, Songview “will enhance the limited data” that currently appears for GMR and SESAC works by including the publisher names for GMR and SESAC works that have split ownership percentages with ASCAP and/or BMI – “one of the most popular information requests from Songview users,” according to Monday’s announcement.
The press release also indicated that “the ownership percentages for the GMR and SESAC split works are part of a future plan”.
The Songview engine was built by a “cross-functional team of copyright, technical, distribution, and product experts” from ASCAP and BMI.
The system ingests song ownership information, processes and reconciles it based on agreed-upon rules, and then sends the reconciled data back to the ASCAP and BMI searchable databases.
Information displayed for those works includes songwriters and their affiliations, publisher data, performers, alternate song titles, and ISWC and IPI codes. Reconciled songs appear with a green checkmark to indicate that each of the PROs agrees on the information.
The information is free to the public and currently accessible on the ASCAP and BMI websites.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with BMI, GMR and SESAC as we innovate to provide more transparency to licensees into musical ownership data for the combined repertories of the most performed music in the world.”
Elizabeth Matthews, ASCAP
ASCAP CEO, Elizabeth Matthews, said: “We are thrilled to collaborate with BMI, GMR and SESAC as we innovate to provide more transparency to licensees into musical ownership data for the combined repertories of the most performed music in the world.”
“It was always our intention to ensure Songview would be the single most comprehensive source of copyright information for the industry, which is why the addition of GMR and SESAC data is so important.”
Mike O’Neill, BMI
BMI President & CEO, Mike O’Neill, added: “It was always our intention to ensure Songview would be the single most comprehensive source of copyright information for the industry, which is why the addition of GMR and SESAC data is so important.
“Having the four major US PROs come together to enhance data transparency highlights how we as an industry can successfully collaborate and deliver solutions that benefit the entire music community.”
“With the addition of the GMR and SESAC repertoire to Songview, the most comprehensive view of US songwriter and publishing information will represent over 38 million works.”
Randy Grimmett, Global Music Rights
Randy Grimmett, Co-Founder and CEO of Global Music Rights, said: “With the addition of the GMR and SESAC repertoire to Songview, the most comprehensive view of US songwriter and publishing information will represent over 38 million works.
“This is a major step in addressing the needs of licensees for a comprehensive view of PRO licensing obligations.”
“The addition of SESAC and GMR to Songview will provide a comprehensive view of ownership data and licensing representation for the largest music market in the world.”
John Josephson, SESAC
John Josephson, Chairman & CEO of SESAC added: “The addition of SESAC and GMR to Songview will provide a comprehensive view of ownership data and licensing representation for the largest music market in the world.
“This collaborative solution addresses requests from licensees and Congress that extends the visibility of repertory data already available from SESAC.”
Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05), said: “As a Member of Congress, I have long called for greater transparency into music licensing to ensure businesses have the information they need to make informed licensing decisions. This is because music ownership data has for years been fragmented and opaque, compounded by continued growth in the performing rights industry.
“With today’s announcement, we take a giant step towards transparency, and towards my goal of a complete and authoritative database. I congratulate ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR on their partnership, and I look forward to continuing to work with them to ensure the database meets the needs of Wisconsin businesses.”
House IP Subcommittee Chairman Darrell Issa (CA-48) said: “Our copyright system is the backbone of our creative economy, with clarity and transparency essential to ensuring creators have the compensation they deserve while licensees have the predictability they need. I congratulate ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR on the launch of a new and improved Songview to enhance clarity and transparency in music licensing.”
Music Business Worldwide
