Copyright owners getting paid royalties for songs played during live-sets at clubs around the world may become a reality in the near future. Although the technology is far from perfect, companies like Pioneer DJ and organizations like the Society of Composers, Authors, and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) are working toward that goal, and doing so together.
Pioneer DJ announced the creation of Kuvo a few years ago, and are taking the patient route. The way Kuvo works is by extracting each track’s metadata via a box that plugs into the DJ’s mixer. That metadata is then collected and stored in a cloud-based social platform, and relayed to a variety of places.
From the Kuvo app for clubbers to check out, to organizations like SOCAN who can tabulate and distribute royalties, the real-time information gained has a wide variety of uses.
Now, SOCAN has officially partnered with Pioneer DJ to offer the technology, an easy to use router-sized device, for free to nightclubs, festivals, and other venues. Beginning in Toronto, CODA is the first club in North America to give the give this new technology a shot. This marks a major move for Kuvo, which began by partnering with venues primarily in Europe following its release.
“For years we’ve been dissatisfied with the system in place, knowing that not all licenses we pay are getting in to the hands of artists behind the music played in our venues and at our events. Now, through technology, the use of a simple device will ensure that the music licenses that we pay and have always paid will go to the right people.” – CODA owner Joel Smye via Billboard
We’re always for artists and copyright owners getting paid for the usage of their creations, and the quicker we make that dream a reality, the better. Thanks to companies like Pioneer DJ and organizations like SOCAN, we may not be far off. Let us know what you think of Kuvo and the future of live-set information gathering by commenting below, on Facebook, or replying on Twitter!
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