SESAC announced a partnership with TuneSat. The pact calls for TuneSat’s technology to detect performances of the SESAC repertory used in audio-visual programs monitored across TuneSat’s network of 110 national broadcast and cable channels.
“After a decade of industry attempts to streamline the process, tracking performances on TV is still a largely manual endeavor,” said Hunter Williams, Senior Vice President, Strategic Development with SESAC. “Cue sheets are notorious for being filed incorrectly, late, and in some cases, not at all, which adversely affects payments to songwriters and composers. We are very excited about the impact we believe TuneSat will have on improving the process and thereby increasing the accuracy in royalty reporting to rights holders.”
TuneSat’s proprietary audio-recognition technology, often referred to as audio fingerprinting, adeptly detects music in as little as three seconds and even in very noisy (“dirty audio”) environments. This means short pieces of music layered underneath sound effects and voiceovers, such as those used in broadcast TV, can be detected by the system.
“This deal marks a first for the music industry and clearly establishes SESAC as the leader in transforming the music business into an efficiently run industry lead by technology,” said Scott Schreer, CEO of TuneSat. “TuneSat addresses two fundamental issues for all rights holders, accountability and transparency. With TuneSat, composers and publishers now have a real time solution to protect and monetize their content aired on broadcast TV.”
