As research and commercialization of music-related therapies gains momentum, a panel at SXSW Sydney considered the intersection of music licensing and delivery of patient outcomes.
If you run a radio station, television network, or coordinate film production, chances are the music licensing process is built into your organization's DNA. These types of channels have a long and established tradition and are all media-related networks, so knowledge is institutional, contracts are usually long-term, and processes are standardized.
What about new channels emerging? How do app builders license music? There may be helpful precedent for companies that create software such as games, but what about something less commonly associated with the music business, such as medical technology?
During SXSW Sydney, three experts discussed this exciting and complex space. The session was moderated by Emanuela Grace, singer, speaker, and founder of Find Your Voice, a voice and communications consulting firm.
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stage setting
Felicity Baker is a music therapist, professor at the University of Melbourne, and founder of Matchplus.ai, a sensor-based AI solution that detects physiological markers of early arousal and provides personalized musical interventions to improve the health of people living with dementia and other cognitive impairments. Baker, who has more than 30 years of experience in dementia care and music therapy, is leading the project in its prototype stage to reduce suffering and addiction, and create a more livable environment for people with cognitive decline.
Baker was one of only 15 recipients worldwide, out of more than 800 applications, to secure US$1.3 million (A$2 million) from Google.org (the philanthropic arm of Google LLC) to develop scalable technology.
“We're actually developing algorithms using wearables that can predict when someone is going to start wandering, or when they're going to stand up and fall or hit other residents in a nursing home,” she said.
“We're cutting it down to five to 15 minutes, so caregivers and families can anticipate what's going to happen.”
Baker said it was one thing to use AI to proactively control when to use music, but then additional challenges arose and are still being worked on: what order to play the music, what kind of music to use, and how to be sensitive to specific symptoms in dementia patients.
Simone Dalla Bella, co-director of the BRAMS Laboratory at the University of Montreal, conducts research focused on rhythm interventions for patients with a variety of disorders, including Parkinson's disease.
These interventions include rhythmic serious games such as Beat Workers and mobile apps such as BeatMove, developed by BeatHealth, a startup co-founded by Dalla Bella. For example, BeatMove adjusts the tempo of music to help people with Parkinson's disease walk more effectively.
“Imagine that the music of your choice is playing in the background. It's playing a little faster than you, so you feel inspired to run a little faster. But when you get tired and slow down, the music gently follows you, as if you were running or walking with a theoretical partner,” he said.
“There's currently a clinical trial underway in France with a large group of people with Parkinson's disease. They're basically taking the app outside into a park and using it, and we're seeing the beneficial effects of that kind of intervention.”
Music therapy itself is not new, and therapists have been conducting such interventions in one-on-one sessions and small groups for decades. An exciting perspective highlighted during the session was that technology and AI will enable this to be achieved at scale and in an evidence-based approach.
Enabling more people to receive music therapy through technology has the potential to reduce medication intake, lower healthcare costs, and improve treatment outcomes. However, scaling up these treatments introduces new considerations and challenges that have not had to be faced in traditional clinical settings.
Licensing issues
The therapeutic potential of music can actually be inspirational and life-affirming. Delivering therapeutic outcomes to patients with debilitating diseases in a non-invasive manner is certainly a noble cause for academics and entrepreneurs alike. However, many people may not be thinking about how these medical applications acquire and manage music rights.
Virginie Chelles, vice president and global head of marketing and communications at Tuned Global, an AI-powered music licensing and technology company, explained the complexities facing these innovators.
In working with medical technology clients, Chelles emphasized that while founders have a deep understanding of the science and technology behind their products and projects, they are often ignorant of how the music industry operates.
“For us, we have a whole new industry, the music industry, that has little or nothing to do with the medical industry. [which in itself also] There are a lot of regulations,” she said.
In the field of medical music, Tuned Global is currently working with MediMusic, a British startup that uses AI to analyze brain responses and select music to manage anxiety and pain. Companies like MediMusic are clearly doing powerful and important work, but when they don't meet all the requirements to properly license music, they add even more risk to an already compliance-heavy environment.
“They're working on the legal aspects of medicines to enable them to be provided in NHS hospitals in the UK, doing trials and everything that goes with that. There's a lot of paperwork that has to be done there,” Mr Cheles said. “But if they play the wrong track, [a] If you have an unlicensed truck, your business will be in trouble. ”
[They would be looking at lawsuits]and they will not pay the right people. There are master rights and publishing rights. [So they think]“How should I do it? How do I find the right truck?”
These types of apps often create new challenges for medtech clients in knowing which other tracks they need to access, as AI personalization solutions facilitate the selection of tracks that resonate with specific patients. Companies should also consider whether their licenses allow training of medical algorithms on music assets.
“Thousands of tracks are released every day, [if you look at what’s being produced] Using AI. It’s so much more,” she said.
“Many companies don't need millions of trucks. If you're tackling dementia, you just need to work on your back catalogue, the catalog from when these people were in their 20s.
“For us, this helped us understand what it takes to license a proper catalog instead of millions of tracks, because accessing millions of tracks costs a lot of money in storage and processing.”
arrangements and processes
For medical technology companies looking to leverage music, Chelles spoke candidly about the challenges and decisions they face when first tackling music licensing. You'll need to put a lot of thought into how much music you need, what type of music you need, whether you need commercial music, whether you need production music, etc.
These considerations were a major challenge when MediMusic first partnered with Tuned Global.
“Because licensing music is not a science. It's unpredictable, but we can definitely help,” she said.
More specifically, Shells said companies tend to be more successful when they approach music licensing early in development, rather than treating it as an afterthought.
“It will take just as long to build music, licensing and compliance technology as it does to build medical devices and apps, or the science behind them.”
“Talk to a music professional early on. It could be us, or it could be an entertainment lawyer or licensing expert who can help you from the beginning…just figure out what it's about.
“We can also help you build a business case to pitch to a label, as this can be very strategic depending on the label and its current goals. Making a big pitch without understanding the label and the wider environment can cost you a lot of time and money if you don’t sign quickly.”
“Being able to demonstrate and communicate the value of this industry on industry terms is critical to success, so if you can work with people who can have those relationships and engage with you, that helps tremendously.”
Working with established music technology companies can help medical technology startups navigate label negotiations. Labels recognize that companies that are already working with licensing professionals typically have the funding secured and understand the commercial requirements.
“[The labels are] Well, they're legal. Because if Tuned Global can work with them, they already have the money and they know what they're doing,” Chelles said.
Securing a license agreement is only the first step. Companies need backend technology to access the actual trucks. Tuned Global maintains 190 million tracks and the catalog is growing every day. Companies must negotiate separately with both master rights holders (record labels) and publishers representing musicians and writers.
Tuned Global is a leading data-driven cloud and software platform that enables businesses to integrate commercial music into their apps and launch complete streaming experiences using advanced APIs, real-time analytics, licensing solutions, and customizable white label apps.
Our turnkey solutions for music, audio, and video, combined with our extensive ecosystem of third-party music technology integrations, deliver the most comprehensive platform for powering any digital music project. We streamline the complexity of licensing, rights management, and content distribution, enabling rapid innovation and bringing new ideas to life.
Since 2011, we've helped more than 40 companies in over 70 countries, including communications, fitness, media and aviation, deliver innovative music experiences faster and more cost-effectively. For more information, please visit www.tunedglobal.com.
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