Digital Data Exchange (DDEX) is a standards-setting organization focused on the creation of digital value chain standards to make the exchange of data and information across the music industry more efficient. The Licensing working group is focused on the exchange of information related to a type of music licensing called mechanical licensing. Mechanical licensing involves securing permission from or notifying a music publisher about the use of their song in a recording that will be distributed as a download, on-demand stream, or on physical records such as CDs and vinyl. This type of music business activity was the focus of the largest and most complex portion of the Music Modernization Act, a recent amendment to the United States copyright law.
The Licensing working group sessions involve very detailed discussions about what specific information will be sent by which entity in the music supply/value chain, and when. The group meets in person twice a year and is usually hosted by one of the company participants. The meeting at the Frost School of Music is the first time a music business program has hosted a DDEX working group meeting.
Frost’s Associate Dean and Director of the Music Business and Entertainment Industries Program Serona Elton has extensive experience in this area of the industry. She is an active member of the working group, serving as a representative of Warner Music Group, one of the three global record companies. Says Elton, “It was an honor to host this group of music industry executives, representing 15 companies and organizations. We discuss DDEX and music business data standards in our courses, but having a meeting like this take place on our campus makes it that much more real for our students.”
Jay Gress, one of the co-chairs of the DDEX Licensing working group, and SVP Copyright Administration at Sony Music Entertainment expressed enthusiasm for holding the meeting at the university, saying “It is very encouraging to know that music business students in the program at the University of Miami are learning all about how mechanical licensing works and how important data and messaging standards are in helping to improve the efficiency of the process. The next generation of music industry leaders has to be well versed in how data is used throughout the industry.”
