Auto-reporting Music Setlists for Accurate Royalty Payments

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Solution Overview

Problem

Churches and religious institutions face inaccuracies in royalty payments due to manual, retrospective reporting of music usage, which does not accurately reflect actual music performance data.

Innovation Solution

A system and method for automatically reporting music setlists, including generating a data structure for upcoming public performances, adding performance dates, master audio recording identifiers, and publishing rights information, and automatically reporting usage after a predetermined period.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If manual retrospective reporting is used, then churches can report music usage without continuous monitoring, but the reporting accuracy and representation of actual music usage deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereporting operationVSAvoidmusic usage reporting accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables automatic self-reporting by connecting to audio processing equipment that automatically tracks and reports music usage data without requiring manual church intervention. The church's music playback equipment itself generates and transmits the usage reports, eliminating the need for manual data collection while maintaining high accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the manual mechanical reporting process with an automated electronic system that uses audio processing equipment, digital communication networks, and software to automatically capture, transmit, and process music usage data, substituting human manual operations with automated technological systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Device complexity

If manual retrospective reporting is used, then churches avoid continuous monitoring complexity, but the royalty payment accuracy worsens

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereporting system complexityVSAvoidroyalty payment accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The audio processing equipment automatically performs the reporting function without requiring complex manual systems. The equipment itself generates accurate usage data and transmits it automatically, eliminating the need for churches to maintain complex manual tracking systems while ensuring reliable royalty payment accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system establishes an automatic feedback loop where music usage data is continuously captured, transmitted to the rights management system, and used to generate accurate royalty payments. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures that the reported data accurately reflects actual usage, improving reliability of royalty distributions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Measurement precision

If automatic reporting with setlists is implemented, then music usage reporting accuracy improves, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemusic usage reporting accuracyVSAvoidreporting system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The audio processing equipment performs multiple functions including audio processing, setlist management, and automatic usage reporting within a single integrated system. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated reporting devices, thereby limiting the increase in overall system complexity while maintaining high reporting accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Measurement precision

If continuous automatic reporting is implemented, then music usage data accuracy improves, but the reporting time and processing burden worsens

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemusic usage data accuracyVSAvoidreporting time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements continuous automatic reporting where music usage data is captured and transmitted in real-time or near-real-time as music is played. This continuous operation eliminates the need for periodic manual reporting cycles, maintaining high data accuracy while actually reducing total reporting time by eliminating gaps between reporting periods.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Data Source

PatentUS20230419433A1Auto-reporting public music performances with setlists

Publication Date: 2023.12.28 MULTITRACKS COM LLC

AI summary

Systems and methods auto-reporting public music performances. The method includes generating an instance of a data structure for a music setlist that will be performed during a public performance. The method also includes adding, to the instance of the data structure, a performance date for the music setlist. The method further includes receiving, from a user, a master audio recording of a song to add to the music setlist. The method also includes adding, to the instance of the data structure, a master identifier indicating a first entity that owns the master audio recording. The method further includes adding, to the instance of the data structure, a publishing identifier indicating a second entity that owns publishing rights to the song. The method also includes automatically reporting the music setlist after a predetermined period of time following the performance date.