10 March 2021 – DDEX, the international standards-setting organization dedicated to improving the exchange of data and information across the music industry, announced today that Facebook has joined as a Charter Member of the organization. Facebook, which owns and operates a portfolio of technology and media platforms, has appointed Dan Simpson from Music Operations to the Board of Directors.

“Facebook values the work of DDEX in creating metadata standards for the music industry, and I’m pleased to join their Board in support of this effort,” says Simpson. “With more people than ever turning to online entertainment, it’s so important that everyone in the ecosystem, starting from music creation through to the person that enjoys that work, is using the most up-to-date versions of DDEX standards to communicate information about the songs and their usage.”

Jeff King Chair of the Board DDEX/COO SOCAN added, “DDEX is creating standards for the entire digital music value chain, and so we’re very pleased to add Facebook, one of the largest global platforms to reach music fans, as a Charter Member, and Dan to our Board. We have a great balance of content companies, rights organizations, and digital distributors in our ranks, ensuring that our work serves the needs of the entire industry.”

Membership to DDEX is open to any organization with a business interest in digital media content; there are currently over 120 members worldwide. While a company does not need to become a member to implement any of the DDEX standards, being a member of DDEX provides the opportunity to participate in and influence the development of international standards in the digital value chain. DDEX now has eight families of standards that support the entire arc of digital music operations from initial recording through distribution and reporting as well as other types of business transactions in particular sectors of the industry. The standards are being used by all the major players in the digital music industry, as well as most smaller organizations and startups. DDEX members participate in regular working group meetings to refine current standards and develop new ones.

Charter membership to DDEX allows an organization to:

• Provide a director to the DDEX Board.
• Provide comments on a Committee Draft Standard as set out in the standards development process.
• Send one or more individuals to each Plenary Meeting and have access to all documentation and communications relating to those meetings.
• Send one or more individuals to any of the technical Working Groups and have access to all documentation and communications relating to those meetings.

 

The remainder of the DDEX Board is made up of executives from the 20 other Charter members of the organization:

 

Amazon – Jill Chapman

Apple Inc. – Nick Williamson (Chair Emeritus)

ASCAP – Nick Lehman

Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) – Ed Oshanani

Downtown Music Holdings – Scott Williams

GEMA – Till Evert

Google – Greg Quillard (Executive Board)

Kobalt Music – Bob Bruderman

Pandora Media Inc. – Noel Morrison

PPL – Mark Douglas

PRS for Music – Keith Hill

SCPP – Laurent Fradin

SACEM – Paul Cohen Scali (Executive Board)

Sony Music Entertainment – Kirit Joshi (Executive Board)

SOCAN – Jeff King, (Chair of the Board)

SoundExchange Inc. – Luis Bonilla

Spotify AB – Sung Kyu Choi

Tencent Music Entertainment Group – Roberta Fong

Universal Music Group – Kim Beauchamp (Executive Board)

Warner Music Group – Brigette Boyle

 

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About DDEX

Formed in 2006, DDEX is an international standards-setting organization made up of leading media companies, music licensing organizations, digital service providers, and technical intermediaries that is dedicated to improving the exchange of data and information across the music industry. To support the automated exchange of information along the digital value chain, DDEX has standardized the format in which information is represented in messages and the method by which the messages are exchanged between business partners. These standards help rights holders, retailers, and technical intermediaries to more effectively communicate information along the digital value chain. This leads to efficient business transactions, reduced costs, and increased revenues for all sectors involved. DDEX standards are developed and made available for industry-wide implementation. For more information, visit www.ddex.net.

 

About Facebook

Founded in 2004, Facebook is a global technology company that owns social media and gaming platforms that aim to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. With offices and services all over the globe, Facebook is the world’s leading social media platform providing services to more than two billion people worldwide. Through their portfolio of platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Oculus VR – people use Facebook’s apps and technologies to connect with friends and family, find communities and grow businesses.

 

The DDEX Standards

There are eight families of DDEX standards: Release Delivery, Media Enrichment and Description, Sales and Usage Reporting, Claim Detail Message Suite, Works Notification and Licensing, Recording Data and Rights, Collection of Studio Metadata and Linking Works and Recordings. The use of standard message formatting speeds up the exchange of information and increases the accuracy of data, improving efficiency along the digital value chain and streamlining content availability through digital service providers to consumers. All the major digital players — including digital retailers, digital distributors and aggregators, record companies, music licensing companies, music publishers, musical work rights societies, and various technical service providers — use DDEX standards with over 5,000 implementation licenses issued and growing daily. While anyone can implement a standard, only DDEX members can be part of the standard development process – more information on membership online here.

 

DDEX Media Contacts @ Jaybird Communications

Laurie Jakobsen, 646-484-6746, laurie@jaybirdcom.com