You may have noticed some things that were a bit different the last time you logged in to your SoundExchange Direct account. That’s because we’ve added a new feature to improve your user experience. Meet the usage indicator.
The feature, which has been added to the “Overlaps & Disputes” and “Search & Claim” sections of My Catalog, is designed to not only provide you with more transparency into how your recordings are being used but also offer a new way to prioritize your claims.
About Usage
So, what exactly do we mean by “usage”? Usage indicates whether or not a licensee has reported performances of a recording to us during our current adjustment period (which typically spans the last three years). If we’ve received reported performances during that time frame, then we’ve received royalties for it.
Read on for more about how you can use this feature in Overlaps & Disputes and Search & Claim.
My Catalog: Overlaps & Disputes
What’s Changed: In the Overlaps & Disputes section, you’ll now see a “Usage” column, as well as a symbol that indicates a usage level for each recording: “None,” “Very Low,” “Low,” “Medium,” “High,” “Very High,” or “Unavailable.” The usage meter directly correlates to the amount of royalties that SoundExchange has received for a recording over time.
For example, if a recording has “very low” reported usage, then SoundExchange has received a small amount of royalties for it. On the other hand, if a recording has “very high” reported usage, then we have received a large amount of royalties for it.
What This Means for You: You’ll now have a new way to prioritize the management and review of your overlaps and disputes, particularly during periods of high volume. Used in conjunction with the review deadline countdown, usage will enable you to focus on the recordings that could have a greater financial impact on your account. Additionally, you’ll have more visibility into the various usage ranges for your recordings, which means you’ll be able to better discern which overlaps and disputes might involve larger adjustments.
My Catalog: Search & Claim
What’s Changed: In the Search & Claim section, you’ll now see a “Usage” column within your search results. This column will show one of three statuses: “Yes,” “No,” or “Unavailable.” The “Yes” and “No” statuses indicate whether or not there have been performances reported for the recording. “Unavailable” indicates that our system cannot determine usage, at that time, due to processing.
What This Means for You: Having visibility into usage will help you understand if the tracks you are claiming have had reported performances—and therefore whether there may be potential royalties for you to collect from your claims.
We hope that the increased transparency of this feature will be useful to you in prioritizing your overlaps and making new claims!