The FastTrack network: Overview and Aims

Antonio BrunettiFabrizio Zavagli

AXMEDIS –Conference Florence 1 December 2005

About S.I.A.E.

SIAE (Società Italiana degli Autori ed Editori) is an Italian organization that

associates composers, authors, publishers and other owners of any kind

of Intellectual Property (music, theatre, movie, book, figurative art ...) for

the purpose of the protection of their works.

The essential function of SIAE consists in the activity of mediation in the

management of its members’ copyrights and, accordingly, SIAE issues

licenses and authorizations to use the works under protection, receives

the related payments (royalties) and distributes its income to the right-

owners.

About S.I.A.E.

SIAE was created in 1882, ranking Giuseppe Verdi among its founders.

Currently, more than 60.000 authors and composers are registered at SIAE,

and more than 5.000.000 musical works are protected.

SIAE is one of the FastTrack founding members.

Scenario

The following requirements led to the creation of FastTrack:

Collecting societies need to share a high volume of works information for

distribution statements

A global market requires cooperation between collecting societies in order

to improve services

Similarities among collecting societies’ business processes allow to

develop and share common practices and tools

What is FastTrack?

Is an Alliance Of Twelve Music Copyright Member Societies

Provides tools to exchange information on (currently) Musical Works by

means of a global decentralized database network

Is an initiative to improve on technical and business standards by sharing

of best practices between member societies

Builds tools and facilities to improve data exchange and relationship with

users of the “works product”

FastTrack Member SocietiesAKM/AUME – AustriaASCAP – United StatesBMI – United States BUMA/Stemra – The NetherlandsGEMA – GermanyMCPS-PRS-Alliance – United KingdomSABAM – Belgium SACEM – FranceSGAE – Spain SIAE – Italy SOCAN – CanadaSUISA – Switzerland

FastTrack Founding SocietiesAKM/AUME – AustriaASCAP – United StatesBMI – United States BUMA/Stemra – The NetherlandsGEMA – GermanyMCPS-PRS-Alliance – United KingdomSABAM – Belgium SACEM – FranceSGAE – Spain SIAE – Italy SOCAN - CanadaSUISA – Switzerland

FastTrack was bornin september 2000 with the 5 founding members

The Core Project: GDDN Network

What it means:GDDN stands for Global Documentation and Distribution Network

What it is:Is a distributed search engine that retrieves musical works-related data at each of the connected societies’ premises

What it’s for:Contains vital data for proper royalty distribution of musical works. Collecting societies need it for a correct international distribution of collected money to the members (authors/publishers).GDDN fills in the need for a better documentation flow among Collecting Societies – resulting in a more accurate distribution of royalties

The GDDN Network

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SUISA (Switzerland)

IPIDB

IPIDB

International Interested Parties Archive

The GDDN Network

Current state:

2,300 registered users

1,800 daily connections

53 connected societies (including CISAC)

11 contributing societies

20,565,231 total searchable musical works (including CISAC

contributors)

The GDDN Network

The future:

1. Increased back-office functionalities for higher accuracy in data

cleanup (DBs data exchange and Synchronization, automated

shares consistency monitoring for works in foreign countries)

2. Inclusion of sound carriers information (records)

3. Inclusion of Audio-visual works data

FastTrack and CISAC

Extending the use of FastTrack tools

CISAC, the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers, a body that counts 210 authors’ societies from 109 countries as its members, is a FastTrack tools licensee

CISAC tools powered by FastTrack are CISNet and ISWCNet

FastTrack and CISAC

CISNet

The CISNet search engine, based on FastTrack’s GDDN, allows CISAC member societies to search connected database for domestic repertoire.

Over than 50 societies are currently accessing CISNet, with more coming every month.

CISAC societies can act as simple users or, even better, contributors.

FastTrack and CISAC

ISWCISWC is the International Standard Work Code, an internationally recognized reference number to uniquely identify a musical work across the globe

ISWCNet This search engine allows everyone (the general public) to search connected societies’ musical works databases, including the ISWC code and some basic information such as:

Work Title

Authors

Work metadata (duration, type, etc.)

FastTrack and CISAC: ISWCNet

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Other FastTrack Initiatives

Online Works Registration

One of the goals of FastTrack is the development of a common system for registration of musical works using the Internet: a shared framework implemented by the Societies to give our members a better service.

Currently, we are facing legal issues with this initiative. Once the rules will be fixed, we’ll be able to further develop and make use of this tool.

Contacts

SIAE

Corporate website: www.siae.it

FastTrack

Corporate website: www.fasttrackdcn.net

CISAC

Corporate website: www.cisac.org ISWC Network: www.iswc.org

End of presentation

THANK YOU!