The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA), in partnership with APRA AMCOS, is rolling out Music Recognition Technology (MRT) to 100 community radio stations to better ensure that Australian songwriters and music creators receive financial recognition.
It’s a timely and time saving update for community broadcasters after last week’s CrowdStrike outage dramatically affected commercial radio play out systems, and with a great many community stations still reliant on unpopular manual surveys to document airplay. MRT will be able to process nearly nine times more broadcast hours than before.
The CEO of CBAA Jon Bisset said:
“Supporting our members is always our number one priority. Time and resources are valuable commodities at community radio stations, so we’re excited to roll out Music Recognition Technology. This will make reporting easier for our stations and provide music creators with more accurate earnings insights.”
APRA AMCOS CEO, Dean Ormston, added:
“We are committed to providing the most accurate and transparent earnings insights to our members, and MRT reporting helps us achieve this with efficiency and the latest technology. It’s a win-win for music creators and the radio stations that support Australian music.”
A great many community stations exceed the 25% Australian content requirement, Sydney’s FBi plays more than 40% and it’s more than half on Brisbane’s 4ZZZ.
The CBAA have commenced the roll out with the next APRA AMCOS reporting phase using both manual reports and MRT to check the accuracy of the technology. The aim to have all stations’ reporting requirements automatic through MRT by the end of June 2025.
What is Music Recognition Technology?
Music Recognition Technology (MRT) is an audio matching process whereby audio fingerprints taken from DJ performances are compared to a database of source recordings. APRA supplies promoters or event organisers with a device that connects to the mixing desk, picking up audio fingerprints from the songs played.
This data is processed by DJ Monitor who then provide a detailed report to APRA of song titles and artists played.
How accurate is the technology?
An audio fingerprint is a condensed digital summary of an audio signal used to quickly identify a song. DJ Monitor’s database is frequently updated with new releases by certain Digital Distributors (DSPs), record labels, and publishers. If your song is available for purchase and streaming worldwide, chances are your song’s fingerprint is in their system. However, songwriters can upload their tracks directly to DJ Monitor to ensure their metadata is in their database.
How does it free up time for stations?
The implementation of MRT will likely see an almost nine-fold increase in broadcast hours processed, which means station staff and volunteers will no longer need to manually report on music played.
Does it cost more for stations in royalty payments to APRA AMCOS?
No, it will not change the amount paid to APRA AMCOS but will help to streamline the reporting requirements to APRA AMCOS.
If my station is participating, do I still need to upload track listings for my program?
Yes, you will still need to upload track listings for now. As the CBAA and APRA AMCOS start to review MRT reporting and other technologies, there will be refinement and a streamlining of manual uploads.
Further FAQs here: https://www.cbaa.org.au/article/cbaa-and-apra-amcos-revolutionise-airplay-reporting-mrt-rollout