New software which helps producers get paid when a DJ plays their music in a club is gaining support from across the industry. AlphaTheta’s KUVO powered by DJ Monitor was launched to “champion fair royalties for electronic music creators”. 

Organisations such as PRS for Music and PPL in the UK, BUMA in the Netherlands, and APRA AMCOS/PPCA in Australia currently process more than €400 million each year paid by nightclubs to cover music rights. However, the process requires the manual input of data, with many setlists never submitted, often meaning no payments are made. KUVO overcomes this by automatically identifying tracks as they are played in venues, enabling far more accuracy in terms of how funds are distributed. 

“Music Recognition Technology has become an invaluable tool over recent years, enriching the quality of data we receive from music venues across the UK,” said Tim Arber, Director of Operational Improvement at PRS for Music. 

“We are continually exploring new technologies like KUVO powered by DJ Monitor to improve our systems and service to members. Technology that can help to deliver precise royalty payments, with improved speed and transparency to our talented songwriter, composer, and music publisher members, at no cost to the venue,” he continued. 

A number of high profile DJs have also voiced support for the system, which retains “setlist privacy” by not revealing who used which tracks at an event. Dave Seaman, Alan Fitzpatrick and Sirus Hood are among those to welcome the platform.  

“This technology aims to support electronic music creators, so it gets my full support,” said Boris Brejcha. “I play only my tracks at shows, but I know my music is also played by many other DJs in clubs all over the world, so I welcome this progress towards automated reporting for royalty purposes.”

“The KUVO powered by DJ Monitor project and logging tracklists is so important to supporting artists and keeping the scene alive. Not enough DJs and artists are aware of the benefits of logging tracklists,” said Jaguar. “This is something I’m passionate about – artists deserve to get paid for their work, for that sick techno tune played in a club, for that earwormy remix heard at a festival. In a world where it’s increasingly difficult to make money off music and the arts, I think KUVO could be a game-changer.” 

Last year, PRS For Music, The Ivors Academy, Music Publishers Association (MPA), and the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) published a Get Paid Guide for music makers in the UK, available to download for free. 

Revisit DJ Mag’s feature about how producers are losing millions in royalties every year, and what they can do about it, here.