FAQ

Are FastTrack tools and products available to the Public?

No. FastTrack has been and is developing technical solutions exclusively for Collective Management Organizations and some of the Music Industry stakeholders. FastTrack has developed a public tool on behalf of CISAC – the ISWC-Net, the network of ISWCs (ISWC numbers are standardized identification numbers of musical works) available here.

I’m a Music Creator. Does FastTrack play a role in the registration of my works or the payment of my royalties?

Directly NO but indirectly YES. FastTrack is a technical services provider which develops tools used by all Collective Management Organizations (Copyright societies) for the management of your royalties.

Is FastTrack open to new Shareholders?

The FastTrack Board of Directors periodically welcomes new shareholder candidates that share the FastTrack strategic mission and objectives. The new Shareholders will be charged an entry fee, then an annual licensing fee. Each Shareholder society contributes to the FastTrack budget in accordance with their own respective percentage of shares in the share capital of FastTrack. FastTrack is incorporated as a “Société par Actions Simplifiées” (SAS).

Will FastTrack be open to new Stakeholders?

Yes. Our Board has already accepted the principle of opening access to Musical Works and Audio-Visual works metadata to Publishers. Transparency will be one the keystones, especially transparency on exchange of information on works among Collective Management Organizations, Publishers and Digital Service Providers (DSPs).

How are the FastTrack solutions developed? What are the roles of the various bodies and their relationships?

The development of solutions is initiated by the Business and Technical Liaisons of our Shareholder societies and proposed to our executive Boards.

All the work related to each project is done using only existing resources from within the Shareholder societies’ organizations, coordinated and supervised by the FastTrack Management team in Paris.

The requirements related to each product are defined by the Business and Technical Liaisons of each Shareholder society, who design functional and technical specifications.

Once the Functional and Technical Specifications have been approved, a project development team is formed to develop the product according to the agreed specifications. The Project Management Team, the Project Development Team and the Business and Technical Liaisons meet on a regular basis to discuss the progress of the project.

The developed products are handed over to the Project Management Team and to key users for further testing, and after a final approval, the products are delivered to each society of the FastTrack network for implementation.

Although FastTrack’s main activity is the development of technical solutions for its Shareholder societies and the organization is structured in that way, other bodies have been created to support the Management Team in some specific areas such as this of Technology, Communications, Finance or the Legal one. These bodies have a more transversal role, and they all report to the Executive Committee through their chairperson.

Does FastTrack collaborate with societies involved with other technical alliances?

Yes. The development of digital tools within the CISAC community requires collaborative and parallel developments with the same goal in mind: efficiency, accuracy and global availability. FastTrack has collaborated with other technical alliances including LatinNet, Diva, mis@asia or Nord-IC in connecting them as regional nodes on CIS-Net. In the same spirit of openness, FastTrack is ready to consider other possible synergies in the future.

When will technical developments be completed?

FastTrack continues to enhance existing projects and to develop new ones, as opportunities arise and needs develop. FastTrack has adopted a philosophy of a modular development toward limited targets with definable near-term benefits. The FastTrack Board of Directors may authorize additional projects for the future to respond to constantly changing technology and business conditions.

Some Basic Information on Musical Rights and Copyright

The original creators of musical works protected by copyright, and their rights-holders, have certain basic rights. They hold the exclusive right to use or authorize others to use the work on agreed terms. The creator of a work can prohibit or authorize:

  • Its reproduction in various forms, such as sound recordings (reproduction right that may be mechanical, electronic or digital). The reproduction of a work frequently requires management by a Collective Management Organization. Every time a musical work is copied, or a copy of the work is issued to the public, a mechanical royalty is generated. This includes recording for sale on a record, tape, CD or any other sound carriers, music copied into radio programmes, feature films, TV and radio commercials, videos, the internet, retail multimedia, and mobile phone ringtones.
  • Its public performance (performing rights) and recordings of it: the relevant licenses are issued by the Collective Management Organization.
  • Its communication to the public including broadcasting by radio, cable or satellite: the relevant licenses are issued by the Collective Management Organization.
  • Its translation into other languages or its adaptation.

Many creative works protected by copyright require mass distribution, communication and financial investment for their dissemination; hence, creators often sell the rights (or part of their rights) to their works to individuals or companies best able to market the works in return for payment. These payments are often made dependent upon the actual use of the work, and are referred to as royalties.
The above-mentioned economic rights have a time limit depending on treaties and national laws. Copyright protection also includes moral rights, which involve the right to claim authorship of a work, and the right to oppose changes to it that could harm the creator’s reputation.
FastTrack provides technical expertise to its clients and Shareholders in order to help them in building the appropriate network in our digital world. These solutions will improve the communications and the quality of data within and among societies and on a longer term basis all creators will benefit from that. The main outcome for creators will be an acceleration and accuracy of the royalty distribution process.

For more information on Copyright issues, please visit the two following websites:

  • International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC)
  • World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

Or contact FastTrack Shareholder society directly.