If you have a fair amount of music being used on TV you might be interested in this service. I have signed up and can say it’s extremely useful to me to know who is using my music and where. I wrote more about it here. With a followup here.
27 thoughts on “Tunesat – Monitoring Your On Air Music”
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My Tunesat acct seems to be missing a whole lot of detections. I think abt 30% missing but I can’t be too sure what exact percentage is not detected, just found some.
Anyone else experiencing this too?
AxD
They don’t catch them all. I’ve heard 80% but don’t really know. Try e-mailing them as they are easy to deal with.
Thanks Art…
Anyone else having problem uploading tracks onto their FTP server.. I just joined today but can’t seem to get onto their FTP. I’m on a Mac & have tried using Safari, Chrome & Firefox.. All can’t get onto their FTP site..
Have written to them.. I’m wondering if it’s just my system setup or if their FTP site is down?
Thanks..
-K
Ok.. they got back to me within a day..
Problem solved.
OK gents,
Time for a Monday Funday. What’s the most placements you’ve had show up in 1 calendar day on your Tunesat.
A quick scan through the spreadsheet shows 51 on 7-21-09. Quite a few days of 20 to 30 but to be fair these are cable channels and most were written for a production company that will use 15 to 20 per show. It’s those major network placements that generate the big $$$. I have one or two a day on CBS and those make the most bucks.
And, oh yes, some of those are Scripps. Still waiting patiently for that payout!
So, saying for example you have 150 usages turn up unreported in a month (not at all unrealistic considering some people have 50 reported+unreported in a day), what is the next thing you do? Ring the production companies to make them file a cue sheet with the broadcaster? Ring the broadcaster? Ring your PRO?
By the time you’ve rung everyone you’ll probably have spent far more money and time chasing them down than you’ll get from them surely?! This has been worrying me for some time now.
I’ve haven’t found that problem except a couple of times. I then called the production company and got it straightened out. In one case it was a mistake in the scheduling data at Tunesat in another it was a “fair use” issue.
Wow! So of all those hundreds of uses you’ve had, they’ve all been reported correctly and you’ve been paid the royalties or are expecting themt to be paid? (Except for the couple you mentioned).
That would been astounding!! (Someone told me that 80%+ of broadcast music usage in the US goes unreported).
So far I haven’t found huge discrepancies. Though I haven’t checked my latest BMI statement against my Tunesat detections yet. In fact the tendency is to have more BMI usage reported than Tunesat detections, but only by a small amount. I’ve heard that 80% number also but I think in this new age of technology and detections that 80% figure may be obsolete. Then again I’m only reporting my experience.
Wow, again! I am really amazed that the BMI statements are often slightly more than the Tunesat ones. Perhaps your placements are on shows and networks which report well? I’m just clutching at straws to believe Tunesat is worth it. Isn’t it a price per track? So if you have 200 tracks it could be quite expensive?
Depends on your definition of expensive. I think 200 tracks would be $30-$50 per month. Not sure so best to check with them.
I originally got Tunesat to keep track of the Scripps detections for that day when they pay up. BMI called me yesterday to update me on the progress. I was out and my wife took the call. According to BMI they now think that Scripps payouts will occur on June’s statement as they are working with Scripps and collecting cue sheets. Also some may be direct license. A long slog for sure.
Tunesat doesn’t pick up every channel in America. Most local affiliates and FOX sports networks are not picked up by Tunesat, but are picked up by BMI…
And yes, it’s worth it!!!
Can I ask how much the service is?
Can’t remember now, but I think I’m paying around $30 a month
I’m about to join them soon – just have to sign the contract. Very nice people to deal with anyway and pretty fair prices also 😉
From comments here, it seems that Tunesat works very well. Are they better at tracking your use than ISRC. A difference? Would like to know from users to ponder which one is the more effective?
THanks Again All.
Jason
How do you monitor with ISRC exactly?
Hey all,
I’m thinking of using Tunesat but they will not let me join on a trial basis to check out their service.
Has anyone had great results with these guys? I’ve read Art’s blog posts about them, but does anyone have any new information? Thanks..
Hey oontz,
I’m really happy with them and they are great people to work with. It is the future and well worth the money, if you have a lot of stuff on the air you want to keep track of.
I recently posted this on another thread.
Tunesat seems to be gaining more and more ground in the industry. They have recently announced:
“Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), the world’s leading global music publisher, and TuneSat, LLC announced today that they have entered into a deal to utilize TuneSat audio fingerprint technology to monitor performance use of UMPG’s vast copyrights across U.S. broadcast television.”
They have also announced:
“Our BMI/ASCAP comparison report is in beta testing. With this advancement, we look forward to providing users with a customized exception report comparing your PRO royalties against our detection data.”
Hopefully the PROs are getting the message!
I believe that SESAC just signed with Tunesat to monitor their catalog.
Yes, that’s correct SESAC recently signed a deal with them.
A recent talk with my SESAC rep would seem to indicate that the initial coverage of SESAC works will extend to back catalog songs, then library/production music. It will probably not include score any time soon, which seems to make good sense – they’re using the ‘fingerprinting’ to dig in the cracks and crevices for things they probably would have missed otherwise.
Hey Guys,
How does the retitling work? 10 songs in different non-ex libraies could get real expensive if you had to go by titles.
Thanks,
Tony
That’s not the way it works Tony. You only “fingerprint” print one sound file. Tunesat knows nothing about any other titles than the one you give it for Tunesat. Go to the top of this thread and read my original post. Click on the links to read the whole story.
Tunesat will only recognize one title of the work..the title you name the sound file that you send to them..
If you submit 100 tracks, each having 3 different titles, you only pay for the 100 original pieces of music you send..
Not to open up a can of worms, but non-exclusive retitling drives the price of music straight down. One “library” just signed a deal with CBS for $250/use. Don’t do it.