SoundExchange Reporting Blog

Many of you already know this – or should know this – but the deadline to submit your station’s Q4 2009 SoundExchange reporting data to Public Interactive is two days away – Friday, January 15, 2010!

We’re up to our eyes, ears, noses and throats here already in Q4 data from stations (thanks to everyone who has already submitted their data!) but there are still a lot of you from whom we haven’t heard – so let’s get that data to us!

Here one more time, for the record, are the reporting particulars:

1. All reporting data must come from within Q4 2009, that is between the dates of October 1 – December 31, 2009.

2. Playlist log files that meet our formatting requirements are required from all stations that are not PI Composer Pro clients. Also, streaming log files are required from all stations that do not host their streams through Public Interactive.

3. Composer Basic users must accept the Terms of Service before we can officially accept your data and generate reports.

4. Every station (both Composer Pro and Basic users) must specify the start dates of their two chosen reporting weeks using the SoundExchange Dashboard in Composer Pro or Basic.

5. All stations that stream Classical 24 must enter or update the guide information in Composer Pro/Basic for each stream to properly reflect when you streamed C24 during your reporting period, so that we can integrate those playlists into your reports.

6. You should upload your data to Public Interactive using the SoundExchange Dashboard screens in Composer Pro or Basic. If you are not a Composer Pro client of PI and have not yet received a login to Composer Basic contact me and I’ll send you your login.

If you have already uploaded files to us and have not yet confirmed with me that we got them and they are in the correct format LET ME KNOW ASAP! Call or email me and I will verify whether we received your files and if the formatting is correct.

That is all for now.

A new year has begun which, aside from meaning that we’re all little bit older (as my kids enjoy reminding me of frequently), also means that anther calendar quarter has ended for which SoundExchange reporting data are soon due.

What better way to begin a new year than by meeting legal requirements? I don’t know about you but nothing better comes to mind for me.

As you should know by now, the mechanics of reporting to SoundExchange through PI changed a bit from Q3 to Q4, mainly with the release of Composer Basic (and the renamed and revamped Composer Pro for our previous Composer clients). Here are the main points to keep in mind:

1. All reporting data from Q4 2009 (that is data from between the dates of October 1 – December 31, 2009) must be in the required format and submitted to Public Interactive  by COB Friday January 15, 2010, in order for us to guarantee that we can generate and submit reports to SoundExchange on your station’s behalf.

2. Playlist log files that meet our formatting requirements are required from all stations that are not PI Composer Pro clients. Also, streaming log files are required from all stations that do not host their streams through Public Interactive.

3. Composer Basic users must accept the Terms of Service before we can officially accept your data and generate reports.

4. Every station (both Composer Pro and Basic users) must specify their chosen reporting dates using the SoundExchange Dashboard in Composer Pro or Basic.

5. Stations that stream Classical 24 – again whether you are a Composer Pro or Basic user – must  update the guide information for each of your streams in Composer to properly reflect when you streamed C24 during your reporting period, so that we can integrate those playlists into your reports. IMPORTANT NOTE: When adding the Classical 24 program in your guide, be sure to set the Program Format to Classical: C24.

All stations that have registered with Public Interactive for SoundExchange reporting should now have a login to either Composer Pro or Composer Basic. If you do not, contact me and I’ll send you your login.

If you have already uploaded files to us, whether via FTP or Composer Pro/Basic and have not yet confirmed with me that we got them and they are in the correct format LET ME KNOW ASAP! We’re still working out the kinks in the new tools and don’t want anybody to fall through the cracks.

OK, let’s all start the year by being fully compliant! Thanks as always for your efforts.

Happy 2010 everyone! Let’s start off the year with some legal housekeeping.

As a condition of the Webcasting Performance Agreement between CPB and SoundExchange we are required to notify all entities covered by the agreement of the following:

As of January 1, 2011, Covered Entities must comply with the reporting requirements applicable to Web Site Performances under 37 C.F.R. Part 370 and other regulations, as well as comply with their other obligations under Sections 112 and 114 of the Copyright Act. Covered Entities should begin diligent efforts to prepare to do so in advance of January 1, 2011. A failure to comply with such reporting requirements may cause Web Site Performances on or after January 1, 2011 to infringe the copyright in any Sound Recordings performed.

We’ll be emailing this reminder to you covered stations in the next few days also.