E1 installs track ID technology to help compensate producers

London venue E1 has integrated the KUVO powered by DJ Monitor track identification technology, which captures details of the tracks played, into the club.

The software will be used to compile data on which songs are played, ensuring that the money collected through licensing fees for all songs played will go towards the right artists.

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DJ Monitor’s track ID service combines direct metadata capture and music recognition technology.

Direct metadata capture technology records the track, artist name and any other metadata present on a Pioneer CDJ3000 during a DJ’s set.

Meanwhile, music recognition technology records audio from performances and compares it to its database of source material. The audio recorded is used to create an audio fingerprint which is then compared it to other fingerprints in the database to determine which track is being played. The whole process takes a few seconds.

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The music recognition technology uses a database which includes more than 110 million songs, meaning a significant percetange of tracks in any DJ set can be detected.

DJ setlist privacy is maintained as no details about when or who played specific tracks are recorded, which was a crucial consideration when stakeholders were discussing the initiative.

Pioneer DJ’s parent company AlphaTheta Corporation acquired a 25% stake in DJ Monitor last year.

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The system that E1 has integrated is a huge step towards artists getting their fare share of royalties. While money is collected through licensing fees, it has always been a problem finding what songs are played and therefore which artists should receive what amount: the KUVO-powered DJ Monitor track identification technology solves that problem.

Jack Henry, Operations Manager at E1, told Mixmag: “We’re proud to launch DJ Monitor’s Music Recognition Technology.” Adding: that the team are “committed to ensuring independent, upcoming artists and producers are able to succeed, and with this technology, they are one step closer to being paid for their hard work.”

Tibor Heskett is Mixmag’s Digital Intern, follow him on Twitter