Please note our new address:

20-26 Boulevard du Parc

92100 Neuilly-sur-Seine

Vincent Poulain, SACEM

Things evolve. All the time. This is a permanent challenge we technicians should face. With CIS-Net 5, this challenge was consisting in making the user interface current in terms of technologies and state of the art. We are proud of it, we hope you’ll like it.  

Katrine Tielemans, SABAM

From the business perspective CIS-Net 5.0 will be a great improvement. The new look and feel will make working in CIS-Net much more user friendly. The introduction of the Single Work Dashboard will add a functionality to the users that will make their lives much easier and will save them an amount of time in performing their tasks.

Tim Carmichael, PRS for Music

Developing and testing any new software can be a challenge but for CIS-Net 5 we were also dealing with a different look and feel to a User Interface that we had got to know pretty well. Gone was the trusty “Back” button to be replaced by a left pointing arrow. Gone were the tabbed menus to be replaced by cascading menus. The screens are now sizeable and can be customized. Again a very different look and feel but at the heart of it a set of tools that delivers what the customer needs and hopefully the users will enjoy the experience.

Alice Meisel, BMI

CIS-Net 5.0 leaps forward into a new era of agility.  CIS-Net 5.0 now offers the user community greater flexibility to customize and enhance their user experience by allowing them to search, sort and select the fields to display that streamline their objective.

Richard Ali and Timour Mouratov, SOCAN

Visual representation of data is a challenging activity and, in most cases, affects the bottom line of any business.  CIS-Net 5’s Single Work Dashboard is information accessibility rewired for making informed decisions while affording users the courtesy of usability.  This fresh look incorporates techniques in layering, separation, colour triads, and instrumentation (commonly used in the modern design industry) to our advantage.  We eagerly anticipate the reception and progression of this tool within our community as we strive collectively for efficiency and transparency in visualizing our data.

I have got some good news to share with you.

The new upgraded version of CIS-Net was launched this week.

Now all users may benefit from the new product employing the art-of-the-technology solution which will make your workflow more efficient, faster and easier.

This issue of our user newsletter is entirely devoted to the upgraded product.

You are going to find here articles presenting new features of CIS-Net 5, a description of the CIS-Net 5 management process and we will present to you some of the people who worked hard on the product.

We are sure that CIS-Net 5 with its new 2016 Look and Feel, with its new feature called Single Work Dashboard, which is meant to give a multi-territory view of a single work based on the data existing in the CIS-Net nodes, and with the enhanced security policies in order to assure the reduction of the threat of any unauthorized interception, will give its users new and better experience.

I hope you enjoy your read on CIS-Net 5. As usual, for more information you may contact us at : info@fasttrackdcn.net or visit our site : http://www.fasttrackdcn.net

Sincerely

Michel Allain, Director General, FastTrack

WHY DO WE NEED A NEW RELEASE?

The CIS-Net release policy expects an enhanced version of the product every six months. This time, the upgrade of the device resulted for the need of a new framework. From its inception, CIS-Net has been based on underlying frameworks. The first version of CIS-Net, dating back to 2001, was developed using Microsoft ASP Visual Basic framework. The ergonomics and user experience of CIS-Net were conceived at that time. From 2004 onwards, CIS-Net was ported to Java in order to support more operating systems than Microsoft Windows. The current framework, Struts1, was introduced in 2007 and gave birth the CIS-Net powered by FastTrack we have today . However, the Apache Foundation announced the end of the official support of Struts in April 2013. As a consequence, a need for a new framework came out. On top of that, new security requirements resulting from the need to prepare the ground for opening CIS-Net to Rights Holders appeared. Taking the opportunity to change the underlying framework, it was decided to modernize the interface of CIS-Net, too. All that has been done in order to make the tool more secure, more intuitive and the users’ workflow more efficient. It is worth adding that all functions in CIS-Net 5 have been entirely preserved and one new feature called the Single Work Dashboard has been added.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING CIS-NET 5?

The modern version of CIS-Net offers many benefits. First of all, it assures the improved security (enhanced password management policies, prevention against screen-scrapping attacks, display of user identity and enhanced logging functions). Secondly, a support for the new framework in terms of compatibility, security and bug fixes is guaranteed. All that leads to its easier maintenance. Thirdly, the refreshed architecture allows improved ergonomics of CIS-Net in the future. What is more, it is an open source solution offering modern interface features and is more dynamic and suitable for the type of interactive transactional usage performed in CIS-Net.

WHAT IS NEW IN CIS-NET 5?

The main principle of the new framework was not to introduce any functional changes, in order not to create any additional training costs, but to refresh the existing infrastructure while improving the overall user experience at the same time. The new functionalities that improve daily work with CIS-Net 5 are common for each domain. Let us have a look at the main changes that have been introduced to CIS-Net 5. The new look introduces a consistency of icons, colours and menus to make browsing simpler and more intuitive. A compact view offered by CIS-Net 5 allows for browsing multiple tabs on the same page without jumping between pages. The incorporated print button on the bottom of the page enables to print the search results. The added work progress bar helps to control the time as it indices the time remaining to retrieve results. The progress bar blinks when the results are about to be provided. The new CIS-Net 5 feel gives the opportunity to customize work according to the needs. The columns can be rearranged on the screen to fit the needs of the user by dragging and dropping the columns to the desired position.  Only one column can be moved at a time. The window adjusts all of the search work results to the current change. The columns can also be resized. It is also possible to hide columns. All of the aforementioned features concerning the table display customization, plus many additional options, are available in User Preferences. With sortable tables the data may be arranged in the way that makes more sense to the performed task. The modern look and feel of CIS-Net 5 makes the device easy to use and thus does not require any additional training. The enhanced security policies assure the reduction of the threat of any unauthorized interception. The added new feature called the Single Work Dashboard has been designed to provide information on any single musical work that has been posted to CIS-Net by contributing Societies. For further details on it please read the included in this issue article ‘Introducing the Single Dash Board’.

With its modern 2016 look and feel and the Single Work Dashboard, CIS-Net 5 is meant to simplify the workflow by making it more efficient and intuitive.

Didier Roy, Technical Director, FastTrack

The Single Work Dashboard (SWD) was created to address the changing music landscape, the fragmentation of rights, and the increasingly complex picture of how music royalties are distributed around the world. Before CIS-Net 5.0 if a user wanted to see a global “picture” of a musical work they had to select which nodes they wanted to search and then sift through the results to find the pertinent information.

With Single Work Dashboard, CIS-Net users select the work they are interested in and then select the territory(ies) for which they want information.  For example, a Sacem user might select one of their domestic works and request the territorial view of that work for Brazil and Belgium. If the PROs for those territories have a record for that Sacem work, and the works share the same ISWC, the results will be displayed side-by-side.

The side-by-side view is a quick visual way of viewing how the work is documented in the selected territories, and for determining if there are any discrepancies between the results. Moving the cursor over a shareholder highlights that shareholder across the different territories, so if one society uses a creator’s patronym, and another society uses a creator’s pseudonym they will both be highlighted.

Users will notice that they now have access to all sorts of supplementary information in a single place with minimal navigation.  For example, to view a creator’s IP information users can expand the creator box to see detailed IPI information such as pseudonyms, and affiliation per right type. They can also see local sub-publisher information, title information, and performer information.

The Single Work Dashboard gives CIS-Net users a quick and easy way to verify how their members’ repertoire is documented around the world.  And that’s only the beginning; the first release of SWD will be a building block for possible future enhancements and functions, such as the ability to “assemble” a work from the various work details provided, and to download that work into your proprietary system, or the ability to assess the data consistency and integrity of linked works, and much more.

We think that CIS-Net users will soon discover that the Single Work Dashboard has become an irreplaceable part of their daily processes.

Christopher McKenzie, SOCAN

But let’s first start with the beginning of the story. It was in 2002, time to move for me from CISAC (where I learnt Dancing Queen was the fist ISWC!) to FastTrack. I had both high hope and also high energy when I joined the small Parisian team at the famous “rue Cardinet”.

From June 2002 to June 2016 it was a fantastic voyage, sometimes through bumpy and chaotic roads. Our soul train team owned by FastTrack alliance and successfully driven by Captains Van Houten and Allain, step by step crossed many countries, landscapes and stations: FastTools (a remote area in Communications Land), Corporate web site (capital city of Communications Land), Social Media (Communications Land East), Newsletters (Communications Land West), GDDN followed by CIS-Net (Projects Land capital city), with some stop over at GRD and other remote stations in Project Land and a final acceleration until ‘Quick Wins’ (last stop in Projects Land). I must say we sometimes experimented some hard times, hot fun in the summertime, even summer madness to some extent. I also had the occasion to travel with Mr Ahrold and Mr Baruch, the wonderful guides from Communications land who guided me through this amazing maze.

To me FastTrack is above all a family affair, as we are family, more than computer love. A family, where you can express yourself, even if sometimes you get upside down. I would like to say thank you to my huge FastTrack international family. We had good times together and, yes, a funky good time! I’m now retiring but don’t worry I’m born to be alive and I will survive under one condition: please move forward and cross the tracks, don’t stop the music and don’t stop the feeling. Do it for me…

Always there is my motto and it’s not just an illusion!

It’s now time for me to rock n’roll and to stay in the Strawberry fields forever!

July 2016: Let’s Groove and Welcome Daria

It is now time for Celebration, as we welcome Daria for her MBA internship in Communications and Marketing Management. More seriously, I give the floor to Daria, who will introduce herself and who will share her expectations for the months she will spend with FastTrack as an intern:

“I must admit it won’t be easy to stay on the train without Annick. I hope that her and the team’s kind welcome and thorough training will help me successfully continue the journey. The show must go on and I will make my best efforts in order to cultivate well the Communications Land and I will make sure that the FastTrack soul train has all the well working tools to announce its arrival to next stations.

What a joy, what a life, what a chance that I may be part of FastTrack now. I hope that my extensive professional experience as an academic in the field of communications and semiotics with those of a linguist will make me an asset to the company. The MBA studies in communications and marketing will certainly ease my work and help to better feel the beat from the tambourine of FastTrack. Annick, thank you for the music!”

Annick Duflos, Information and Communications Director & Daria Moreau, Intern Communications and Marketing Management, FastTrack

Special thanks to : Carmen, Abba, SOS Bands, Evelyn Thomas, Lakeside, Koxo, Baby Huey and the Baby Sitters, Sly and the Family Stone, Kool and the Gang, Sister Sledge, Zapp and Roger, Charles Wright and the Watts, Diana Ross, Chic, the JB’s, Patrick Hernandez, Gloria Gaynor, Maceo and the Macks, Roy Ayers, Jennifer, Ronnie Laws, Imagination, Earth Wind and Fire, Queen, The Beatles.

THE TIME FRAME OF THE PROJECT

Following the CIS-Net releases policy every 6 months we a new, enhanced version of the product. CIS-Net 5 is the latest release, which we are happy and proud to present.

It is worth adding that FastTrack is involved not only in the enhancements of CIS-Net but also in X-Industry projects, which are out of our regular releases, so the project process of CIS-Net 5.

As it can be seen in the timeline, we can say that the works on CIS-Net 5 started in May 2015 with the conception of the Single Work Dashboard. Then in July 2015, the idea of the new User Interface Framework appeared. In the meantime, as usual, we were working on the Requests for Enhancements. Every month the Business Liaisons group was discussing them, the development team was estimating them, then they were ranked and developed in order to be included into CIS-Net 5.

THE PROJECT MILESTONES

The activities on CIS-Net 5 were split into two projects: the User Interface Framework update and the Single Work Dashboard. On top of that, we were working on the development for Requests for Enhancements (RFEs) and on the usual documents that we deliver on the occasion of new releases (such as the update of the user manuals, creation of the business release notes and a technical implementation on the societies nodes etc.)

As presented in the project timeline above, the most important event for the overall process was the finalization of the development of the most important ingredients of CIS-Net 5 such as the new Framework and the Single Work Dashboard. It set up also the rhythm of the user acceptance tests. In the first iteration, all testers were focused on the new framework and references, in the second one, on the Single Work Dashboard. Then, all of the user acceptance tests were finalized and formally signed-off by all of the domain managers and key testers. In the meantime, all documentation was prepared and released. At the same time, the update of the user guides had to be done.

THE PROJECT TEAM

The people involved in the whole process were the key element of the CIS-Net 5 project.

At its heart there were the development teams: one based in Paris and one in Toronto. As they consist of the finest specialist in their domains, I was certain that they were going to deliver a product of the highest quality. Their work and co-operation can be compared to a Swiss watch - years of experience allow them to synchronize with the highest precision. Besides, the usual follow-ups with individual teams on a daily basis and weekly sprints for all of the development teams were maintained in order assure discussions and communication on all the details of the project.

All of the domain managers and key testers were also very important ingredients of the project. The domain managers were responsible of the formal sign-off of the user acceptance tests. Key testers, as usual also helped us a lot with their participation in the test process. In order to test the application with its every-day users, some of the key testers actively involved their teams. It was to give us a view on the usability of the changes introduced into the look and feel of the application (because besides the RFEs, we did not introduce any other functional change). As you can see in the map, we were working with people living across the continents We had Business Liaisons involved in the overall process since its beginning, giving their important input since the project’s inception.

ORGANIZATION OF WORK

Prioritization was the key element of the work organization. We were to set up the overall priorities, They were set up in line with our general targets. Then we had to manage day-to-day priorities that were a consequence of our overall project delivery policy and additional requirements requested by CISAC. All that was to ensure that this major release could be delivered with the highest precision and attention to details.

MANAGERIAL CHALLENGES

One of the managerial challenges was to work across different time zones. Luckily, the involved business experts and our technical teams were very flexible, so it was definitely not an obstacle but rather the way we usually proceed, where everybody is used to compromises.

The most difficult, from the managerial point of view, was the fact that there are only 24 hours round the clock. It is always the case when the delivery date is approaching that we have a lot of workload and not enough time to incorporate everything at the same time.  But our secret to success is cooperation and trust. I know that I can count on our development teams and that they put all their efforts and use their skills in the best way to build together our great success named CIS-Net 5. I am sure that the product we are delivering is of the highest quality.

EXCITING EXPERIENCE

Working on CIS-Net 5 was definitely an exciting experience. Please remember that it was only one of the tasks that we were handling. At the same time we were engaged in a Cross-Industry initiative. It was a very exciting and fruitful experience to be incorporated in two projects and to manage the priorities.

Working in the international environment was also a very pleasant and enriching experience. It allowed me to discover that everybody has a very unique set of skills and values that combined together work amazingly for the business and technical development of projects, giving them a totally different dimension.

I would like to thank all people who were involved in building CIS-Net 5: no matter if you were coding, defining functional specification, sharing your opinion, or participating in the test phase. All of you are extremely important and without your contribution our product will never be the same, so unique. Many thanks to the great representatives of Collective Management Organizations and the business and technical experts across the whole world.

Hanna Mazur, PMO FastTrack

Moving forward, we are building on FastTrack’s record of success in delivering cutting-edge tools and products under the CIS-Net umbrella, and innovating to meet the transforming needs of both our shareholder societies and our CISAC partners.

We will seek to set several priorities to drive this strategic agenda:

• Strengthen FastTrack’s role in delivering additional value to our shareholder societies by expanding our product and service offerings for their exclusive use and benefit.
• Enhance our support of CISAC by evolving our role from delivering tools and products to delivering even more comprehensive business solutions and services that benefit all stakeholders.
• Continue to support and promote the Cross-Industry Initiative with CISAC to improve the efficiency and flow of information among creators, publishers and societies.
• Explore opportunities for FastTrack to provide additional benefits to its shareholder societies within the context of its relationship to the greater music industry and music users.

The key to success for our initiatives is having a worldwide set of accurate copyright data that meets industry standards and links to industry standard identifiers. This results in a reliable set of data that will enable future business solutions to deliver optimal benefits to our shareholders and the greater CISAC community. 

Since its revolutionary inception through its dynamic work of today, FastTrack has pioneered new systems to better serve its constituents. What began with 5 society members has grown to 13 shareholder societies and more than 120 CISAC society members that rely on FastTrack’s state-of-the-art tools and network infrastructure to deliver timely, accurate and efficient copyright data around the world. This vigorous growth is indicative of FastTrack’s ongoing role as an innovation leader.

With this legacy and with this team, I am confident that our vision will continue to meet the needs and pace of the vibrant global music industry.

Michael O’Neill, Chairman of the Board of Directors

MA - The fruit of our teams’ hard work, which started long before this Spring will be CIS-Net 5.

FT - In what respect is it different and new from the previous CIS-Net updates?

MA - CIS-Net 5 is the latest tool employing the state-of-the-art technology to give a new experience and higher productivity to its users.

With its new 2016 graphic user interface, it permits an intuitive and customized usage of the device. The new CIS-Net 5 Look and Feel has been designed following modern and visually appealing aesthetics. The new interface gives a more compact view improving the overall workflow.

The newly applied enhances security policies assure the reduction of the threat of any unauthorized interception.

FT - Does it introduce any new features?

MA - Yes, the main one is the Single Work Dashboard. It aims at showing a multi-territory view of any single musical work that has been posted to CIS-Net by contributing Societies.

FT - What motivated FastTrack to introduce this new Framework and Graphic User Interface?

DR - There are several reasons for that.

First, the vendor management framework for CIS-Net was no longer maintained by the supplier. Please remember, it was a ten-year old architecture and a lot has changed in our techy word during these years.

Second, there is a demand to upgrade the security policy.

Third, new sort of users are soon expected to use some functions of CIS-Net so we need to prepare the ground for them.

And last but not least, there was a need for a new look and feel of CIS-Net in order to improve the user’s experience and the overall workflow – to have a 2016 look and feel graphic user interface.

FT - Who will benefit from CIS-Net 5?

DR - In the first place, these will be Societies. CIS-Net 5 will simplify their workflow by making it more efficient and intuitive. Indirectly, however this tool will bring benefits also to Creators and Publishers, as more efficient work of Societies means better results for the later.

FT - Please tell us a few words about the future new type of users…Will the new framework be adapted for some other possible in the future functions or applications?

DR - Yes, of course, the newly chosen framework has been perfectly designed and built to support the Cross Industry Projects, the Rights Holders Access and the On-line IPI Lookup Service, for our new users being Publishers and Creators.

FT - What is CIS-Net for Rights Holders?

DR - In the Cross-Industry Newsletter No 1 from April 2016 you had all the details but let me sum it up. CIS-Net for Rights Holders aims at allowing Publishers and Creators to search and view musical works information as maintained on the CIS-Net nodes of the Collective Management Organizations (CMOs) from a single point of access. This interface would enable creators and publishers verify local work registration from the CIS-Net for Rights Holders function instead of searching for it separately in the individual databases of each of the CMOs.

FT: And how would you describe the On-line IPI Lookup Service?

DR - It is a tool facilitating IPI data dissemination. It will enable Publishers and Creators to search and view IPI data.

FT - Hanna, from the project management perspective, what was the most difficult?

HM - To coordinate the teams dispersed in various countries in Europe and Northern America and to get them ready at the same time for the integration of the tool. Now, I have to oversee the end user testing phase all over the world, but that is another story…

FT: Thank you for revealing the secrets. For now, let’s wait in silence until it grows.

Michel Allain, Director General -  Didier Roy, Technical Director -  Hanna Mazur, PMO