Complex deals can be dangerous

Deals can be complex

DDEX allows complex deals to be communicated with many different aspects:

  • Different start and end dates for the deal;

  • Different (sets of) territories;

  • Different types of exploitation;

  • Previews and bonus tracks;

  • Pricing strictures;

  • Specific distribution channels;

  • Staging different deals;

  • etc

This feature bears one risk, alas: If too complex deals are communicated. then there is a danger that the receiving DSP may misinterpret some aspect and make Releases or Resources at a point in time, in a specific country for a specific exploitation when it should not have been made available. Alternatively, a receiving DSP may not make a Release or Resource available when it should have done so. This problem may lead to a loss in revenue (and, for the DSP, potential, a loss in customer) while the former may even lead to legal disputes - with all its ramification.

Keep deals simple

When creating a Deal, a Release Creator should consider to keep it as simple as possible and not to overcomplicate things. Below is an example of a Deal that took several DDEX experts a while to decode to determine what the sender of the message wanted to say. On the right an explanation of what, after the analysis was done has been said and whether that is a useful thing to say.

Overly complex deal

<DealList>
    <ReleaseDeal>
        <DealReleaseReference>R0</DealReleaseReference>
        <Deal>
            <DealTerms>
                <TakeDown>true</TakeDown>
                <TerritoryCode>IT</TerritoryCode>
                <ValidityPeriod>
                    <StartDate>2014-02-03</StartDate>
                </ValidityPeriod>
            </DealTerms>
        </Deal>
    </ReleaseDeal>
    <ReleaseDeal>
        <DealReleaseReference>R1</DealReleaseReference>
        <DealReleaseReference>R11</DealReleaseReference>
        <DealReleaseReference>R12</DealReleaseReference>
        <DealReleaseReference>R2</DealReleaseReference>
        <DealReleaseReference>R3</DealReleaseReference>
        <DealReleaseReference>R4</DealReleaseReference>
        <DealReleaseReference>R5</DealReleaseReference>
        <DealReleaseReference>R6</DealReleaseReference>
        <DealReleaseReference>R7</DealReleaseReference>
        <DealReleaseReference>R8</DealReleaseReference>
        <DealReleaseReference>R9</DealReleaseReference>
        <Deal>
            <DealTerms>
                <CommercialModelType>PayAsYouGoModel</CommercialModelType>
                <Usage>
                    <UseType>PermanentDownload</UseType>
                </Usage>
                <TerritoryCode>IT</TerritoryCode>
                <ValidityPeriod>
                    <StartDate>2000-10-06</StartDate>
                    <EndDate>2014-01-31</EndDate>
                </ValidityPeriod>
            </DealTerms>
        </Deal>
        <Deal>
            <DealTerms>
                <CommercialModelType>SubscriptionModel</CommercialModelType>
                <Usage>
                    <UseType>ConditionalDownload</UseType>
                    <UseType>NonInteractiveStream</UseType>
                    <UseType>OnDemandStream</UseType>
                </Usage>
                <TerritoryCode>IT</TerritoryCode>
                <ValidityPeriod>
                    <StartDate>2000-10-06</StartDate>
                </ValidityPeriod>
            </DealTerms>
        </Deal>
        <EffectiveDate>2014-02-03</EffectiveDate>
    </ReleaseDeal>
    <ReleaseDeal>
        <DealReleaseReference>R10</DealReleaseReference>
        <Deal>
            <DealTerms>
                <TakeDown>true</TakeDown>
                <TerritoryCode>AR</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>AT</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>BE</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>BR</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>CH</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>CL</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>CO</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>DE</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>DK</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>ES</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>FI</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>FR</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>GB</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>GR</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>IE</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>IT</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>LU</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>MX</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>NL</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>NO</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>PE</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>PT</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>SE</TerritoryCode>
                <TerritoryCode>TR</TerritoryCode>
                <ValidityPeriod>
                    <StartDate>2014-02-03</StartDate>
                </ValidityPeriod>
            </DealTerms>
        </Deal>
    </ReleaseDeal>
</DealList>

The Deal on the right hand side was attached to a 12-track AlbumRelease with Releases R0 being the AlbumRelease and Releases R1-R12 being the TrackReleases.This was the first message the DSP has received with respect to this Release family.

As the Deal was sent in 2013, start dates in 2000 (e.g. in line 9) can be ignored; they serve no purpose.

The AlbumRelease is not available in Italy from on 3rd February onwards (cf. lines 4-12). In the circumstances (the Release being brand new and no Deal was ever communicated beforehand), this Deal is superfluous and should not have been sent.

All TrackReleases (except R10) are available as downloads in Italy until 31st January (cf. lines 26-38).

All TrackReleases (except R10) are available as subscription (cf. lines 39-52).

TrackRelease R10 is not available in Argentina et al (incl. IT) from on 3rd February onwards (cf. lines 57-88). In the circumstances (the Release being brand new and no Deal was ever communicated beforehand), this Deal is superfluous and should not have been sent.

So, only the ReleaseDeal in lines 14-54 has any value and the following availabilities are granted:

  • R1-9,11-12 were available until 2014-01-31 for downloads and subscription;

  • R1-9,11-12  were available for subscription only between 2014-01-31 and 2014-02-03.

Note that the availability of the AlbumRelease is independent from the availability of the  TrackReleases "spawned" from the album (and vice versa).



Please note that the example on the left uses the syntax of ERN-3. However, the same principle applies to ERN-4.

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