Project Overview
The “European Music Rights Platform (EMRP)” project examined the feasibility of a decentralized platform for managing and exchanging music metadata across Europe.
The aim was to develop a solution to the increasing fragmentation of copyright data, differing national licensing systems, and asymmetric power structures within the music industry.
The main areas of focus were:
- improving metadata quality
- transparent rights matching
- decentralized data exchange
- avoiding centralized concentrations of power
Initial Situation
The European music industry is characterized by:
- fragmented copyright structures
- separate identification systems (ISRC / ISWC)
- different national licensing models
- proprietary data silos
- asymmetric power relationships between stakeholders
Previous centralized approaches, such as the Global Repertoire Database (GRD), failed in particular due to issues relating to data sovereignty and governance.
At the same time, the increasing digitalization and internationalization of the industry require an efficient, cross-border solution.
Approach & Methodology
To analyze the requirements:
- 10 expert interviews were conducted with record labels, collecting societies, artists, libraries, and B2B service providers
- power structures and data flows along the value chain were examined
- stakeholder personas were developed
- functional and non-functional requirements were derived
Based on these findings, a technical and organizational target concept was developed.
Target Concept
At the core of the concept is a decentralized platformthat:
- does not rely on centralized data storage
- connects existing systems through interfaces
- evaluates metadata quality using a rating algorithm
- enables data reconciliation through matching algorithms
- uses an internal exchange mechanism (EMR-Coin)
- is operated by an independent institution
The objective is to enable efficient data exchange without shifting existing power structures.
Key Findings
The analysis showed:
- a high willingness to improve metadata quality
- a low willingness to share data with direct competitors
- strong fragmentation of technical standards
- a need for transparency, governance, and trust
A decentralized solution can reduce conflicts of power, provided that:
- no centralized data storage is used
- metadata is not traded commercially
- governance is organized independently
Added Value & Knowledge Transfer
The project demonstrates how methods from business informatics can be applied to complex platform and governance challenges.
The results provide:
- a structured requirements model
- a decentralized architecture concept
- governance and incentive mechanisms
- concrete recommendations for prototyping and further development
The concept provides a foundation for the sustainable further development of music rights management in Europe.