Universal Music Group Partners with ISNI to Revolutionize Artist Identification System
Universal Music Group (UMG) has partnered with the ISNI International Agency in a groundbreaking agreement, making UMG an official ISNI registration agency. This collaboration marks a significant advancement in music industry identification standards.
UMG has already implemented ISNI identifiers for over 100,000 contributors, including artists and songwriters. The system helps reduce confusion between similarly named artists and streamlines digital service providers' (DSPs) operations.
The ISNI system serves as a bridging identifier, connecting UMG's records with collection societies' international performer numbers (IPNs). This integration provides professionals with a comprehensive view of their recordings, works, and revenue streams across multiple platforms and languages.
Photo Credit: ISNI
Key benefits of the UMG-ISNI partnership include:
- Improved creator recognition and compensation
- Reduced metadata discrepancies
- Enhanced tracking of royalty streams
- Better management of multi-language artist names
- Streamlined identification across different platforms
Kim Beauchamp, UMG SVP of process innovation and advanced operations, emphasizes that this partnership demonstrates their commitment to accurate creator recognition and compensation. The integration aims to set new industry standards for artist identification and rights management.
ISNI International Agency executive director Tim Devenport notes that UMG's vast catalog and dedication to accurate creator identification will drive industry-wide improvements, benefiting artists, rights holders, and service providers alike.
This partnership comes at a crucial time as the industry faces challenges from AI-generated content and complex royalty distribution systems, potentially paving the way for better distinction between human-created and AI-generated works in the future.