Universal Music Group (UMG) and the ISNI International Agency have established a groundbreaking partnership, with UMG becoming one of approximately 35 ISNI registration agencies. 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. This integration has effectively reduced confusion between similarly named artists and streamlined digital service providers' (DSPs) operations.

The ISNI system serves as a crucial bridging identifier, connecting:

• UMG's internal systems
• Collection societies' international performer numbers (IPNs)
• Multiple language variations of professional names
• Various works and collaborations across platforms

Key Benefits of the Partnership:

• Consolidated view of recordings and works
• Improved revenue stream tracking
• Enhanced creator recognition
• Streamlined metadata management
• Better royalty distribution accuracy

Kim Beauchamp, UMG SVP of process innovation and advanced operations, emphasizes that this partnership represents their commitment to accurate creator recognition and compensation. The integration aims to establish new industry standards for artist identification and rights management.

Tim Devenport, ISNI International Agency executive director, notes that UMG's vast catalog and dedication to accurate creator identification will drive significant improvements across the industry, benefiting artists, rights holders, and service providers.

This partnership comes at a crucial time as the industry faces challenges from:

• AI-generated audio proliferation
• Complex royalty distribution systems
• Increasing metadata management needs
• Rising daily track releases
• Growing demand for accurate creator identification

The collaboration represents a strategic move toward standardizing creator identification in an increasingly complex digital music landscape, potentially paving the way for better distinction between human-created and AI-generated content.

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