It’s Time to Prepare for the Launch of the Notification of Live Performance Tool!
It has been rumored that something worth singing about was coming to CIS-Net. Well, now it’s time to kick up your heels and prepare for the inaugural launch of the Notification of Live Performance (NLP) tool in the November 2014 release of CIS-Net version 4.7!
The FastTrack Management Board identified NLP as a primary initiative from a brainstorming storming session in Paris 2009. In 2010 the project was added to CISAC/FastTrack 2012-2014 Development Roadmap and was ranked #2 with 10 sponsor societies: APRA, ASCAP, BMI, Buma / Stemra, GEMA, PRS for Music, SADAIC, SCD, SGAE and SOCAN. The ultimate goal of the NLP project is to provide societies with a tool that will allow them to notify other music societies that their members’ repertoire has been performed in their territory. Also, it will provide a tracking system for the submitting and receiving societies to monitor all performance notifications. Much like CIS-Net AVI, the tool can be used to track notifications and forecast if/when payment will be received. This automated process can take in large volumes of event details.
The initial goal of the NLP project team was to simplify the tracking of performance notifications and to improve the workflow of such notifications. The NLP notification and tracking facility will be an efficient way to keep on top of live performance claims by allowing the notifying society to include a set list containing the authoritative musical work details (using the information on CIS-Net MWI) for the performance and archiving the set list for a three year period. These set lists can also be edited and re-used for additional performance notifications. A venue index has also been created that will allow societies to load details of their licensed venues (as well as details of venues that are no longer licensed), that can then be referenced in the performance notifications. The venue index will also populate new venues from submitted NLPs.
A handful of Performing Rights Organizations have created their own proprietary live music performance notification systems. CIS-Net NLP is not intended to replace these proprietary systems but to enhance the exchange of NLP’s between societies. Most proprietary tools do not accept batch submissions of live music performances. The creation of the batch, using the NLP file format for NLP submissions, is a key feature helping societies with their business needs.
Business rules have been discussed and outlined by the CIS-Net Business Liaisons and delivered to the Business and Technical community for further discussion and development. The business rules are an essential part of the tool that lay the foundation for the technical team to develop automated warnings/rejections of a submitted or received NLP. They will also help with the development of service level agreements as the users become more familiar with the tool.
The project team has had an overwhelming amount of support from societies in the anticipation that the tool will facilitate the submission and reception of live performance requests down to the distribution. Such support will be essential when testing commences August through October of 2014.
The NLP Project Team are very excited about the NLP, and believe that it will have a very positive impact on the way societies exchange live performance information. So this November, once the testing is complete, make sure you grab a front row seat for the launch of the NLP tool; it’s sure to be a performance of a lifetime!
Alice Meisel, BMI & Christopher McKenzie, SOCAN, Project Leaders
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