A new platform has been created to help South African artists keep track of their airplay and the proceeds due to them. The Music Audit Usage System (Maus) was created by a mathematician, along with local music executives and technology developers.
DJ and mathematician Mark Stent, Jarrod Assenheim from Audlytics / Radiomonitor SA, and Andrew Mitchley and Larry Gresham of Gresham Rights Management came up with the idea to help artists during the height of the pandemic when live performances were not possible. As a result, many artists were (and are) struggling financially.
The platform also addresses a crucial issue through its free music upload panel: that of loss of income due to incomplete metadata: composers, codes, publishing details, legal splits agreements and so on. New songs can be uploaded onto the platform and details verified by co-composers and fellow artists, resolving any royalty issues at source.
Maus co-creator Stent said the service is available for R59.99/month or R599/year. Artists can sign up for a forever-free account. Independent artists, artists signed to labels, labels and artist’s managers can sign up on the website in four steps.
The first step is to create a profile. Secondly, artists can register and get their top-earning track on a free-forever subscription. The third step is done by the platform and includes accurate tracking of royalties and access to other tools such as uploading music and adding metadata. The final step is the confirmation of royalties paid, and use of the partners of Maus’s to help the artist claim what’s missing.
Maus uses Radiomonitor, which monitors music played on radio and TV in more than 120 countries, including South Africa. The app can identify the airplay allocated to songs on TV and radio and then translates the airplay into royalty data. The airplay data is used by major record labels, music broadcasters and media companies for royalty management.
The service is currently only available the Maus website, but Stent said that an app will be launched as part of phase two of the platform’s development. “In the long run, we plan to create a portal where artists can grow their careers independently and give them the tools they need to turn their music careers into a stable living,” said Stent. – © 2022 NewsCentral Media
