The Digital Data Exchange ("DDEX") has been incorporated by a consortium of eleven companies:

* To develop and maintain a robust framework of communication Standards to support the digital distribution of digital content with the initial focus on music and music-related assets;
* To improve the efficiency of information sharing and transaction processing between participants in the music supply chain through use of Standards and
* To promote global awareness and compliant implementation of these Standards.

As it stands now, content providers, publishing houses and digital music services have no standard way to deliver or receive information on the sales of music downloads. The record labels report to publishing houses when they release music files to music services in their own proprietary way. Each music service in turn reports the sales of specific digital music files to the publishing houses and content providers in their own format.

DDEX seeks to establish a standard format and tracking system for the meta-data attached to digital music files. Once the standard is established, identification of rights owners, sales and royalty information will be relayed in the same manner for all legally distributed music.

"Optimistically, it would be great if we could have something by the end of the year," Amenita said. "But with so many parties involved you have to be realistic."

In addition to streamlining rights reporting and sales, a long-term goal for DDEX is to eventually standardize the meta-data consumers use to digitally sort and organize their music.

That would mean that information such as artist name, track labels and other related content would appear in a standard format across devices and music programs.

posted by James DeLong @ 9:27 AM | Markets

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