Performing rights organisation deploys Shazam audio recognition technology following successful year-long trials
Enabling automated identification to enhance BMI's airplay measurement for copyright administration for its songwriters, composers and music publishers
Shazam selected based on superior accuracy, scalability and speed.
American performing rights organisation BMI today announced a contract with Shazam Entertainment, the pioneering UK-based audio technology company. The partnership will enable BMI, which distributed more performing right royalties than any other society in the world last year, to enhance airplay measurement. The contract is an important milestone for Shazam, illustrating the company's commitment to the broadcast monitoring industry.
Using its proprietary music recognition and identification technology, Shazam will add a significant new tool to BMI's ability to provide accurate and efficient airplay reporting and royalty distribution. Its technology, which currently has a number of patents pending, captures a 'fingerprint' of a song or recorded sound and compares it against a database to automatically identify recorded content as it airs.
BMI will use the airplay data provided by Shazam together with its existing sample and census information to distribute royalties from the public performances of its repertoire of approximately 4.5 million compositions - including radio airplay, broadcast and cable television carriage, Internet and other recorded performances - to the American creators it represents.
BMI conducted a year-long series of extensive trials, comparing Shazam's technology with its competitors. It found that Shazam can monitor with a signal to noise ratio of up to -9db, a level unprecedented anywhere else in the industry. With the support of one of the world's largest music databases, Shazam's response time is measured in milliseconds. BMI's trials revealed an accuracy of in excess of 99%, whether the size of the database is in the thousands or in the millions.
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The first phase of the system's rollout will see BMI monitor hundreds of sources. Shazam will provide a system that is resilient to distortion in broadcast transmission, speed-up or signal manipulation. It will also support the system integration and oversee operations on an ongoing basis.
John Cody, Chief Operating Officer at BMI, said, "The implementation of a technology of this kind, to allow us to monitor airplay with maximum efficiency and accuracy, will play an important role in the continuing transformation of our business for the digital age."
"In order to select the best technology, we conducted widespread tests on alternative recognition systems. We found Shazam's technology to be excellent - it provided not only a near-perfect level of accuracy, but it was also faster than all other competitors."
Jerry Roest, CEO of Shazam Entertainment, said, "Existing data gathering techniques to date have not provided Performance Rights Organisations with the necessary control over their businesses. Using our proprietary technology, BMI can take advantage of comprehensive, accurate, timely and reliable airplay data, maintaining its position as the most comprehensive and accurate airplay measurement authority among PROs."
"We are delighted to be announcing our partnership with BMI today. The reputation of the organisation, and the fact they have chosen our technology, reflects the confidence we have in our ability to provide a superior service. We look forward to announcing additional contracts, both in America and internationally, in the near future."
Shazam already boasts a world's first in mobile music recognition technology. Since its launch in August 2002, it has successfully introduced a consumer service into several countries round the world, which allows music fans to use their mobile phone to identify any track using just their handset. After listening to a music clip lasting just a few seconds, Shazam sends the user an SMS with the title and artist from its vast music database. In the UK alone, the reference database comprises 1.8 million tracks •
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