Part 4: UGC profile

The purpose of the UGC profile is to enable licensees to report to licensors information regarding the level of sales/usage generated from the usage of music in content that has been uploaded to a licensee's platform by any user which is not necessarily the owner or rights controller of all or part of that content. The current Part 4 is in version 1.3, the text of which is available here.

What information does the UGC profile provide?

The UGC profile provides for a detailed amount of information to be reported about a range of entities or parties, including:

  • Release level data, typically, videos;

  • Resource level data, typically, the sound recording embodying the musical work used in the release; and

  • Sales/usage data split out to each licensor where that licensor is known by the licensee for the relevant reporting period.

What business models does it cover?

The profile enables reporting of UGC usage for two commercial model types:

  • Ad supported streaming; and

  • Subscriptions

The UGC profile is available as an MRBV and an SRBV. The MRBV is the recommended default variant to implement.

How is an MRBV report structured? 

The MRBV of the UGC profile has the following structure:

  • A header that contains general information such as the names of the sender and recipient of the message. The header is the same for all DSR profiles in both the MRBV and SRBV configurations;

  • A summary record for each sales context, which provides the parameters of the sales context, as well as summary information that allows the recipient of the sales/usage report to get an overview of the content of the message;

  • Blocks of detailed information about the releases, resources and musical works and the sales/usage information relating to them:

    • Each block contains all information that is needed to process the sales/usage of a particular release, resource and the musical work contained in them, once the block has been ingested without having to ingest the whole message first;

    • The block can be reported at release level or resource level, depending on the business model;

    • Each sales/usage line points to a summary line detailing the sales context; and

  • A footer that contains check data about the individual report such as the number of records that are included. The footer is the same for all MRBV DSR profiles.

What other information can the UGC profile communicate?

The UGC profile structure also enables additional levels of detail and accuracy including:

  • Sub-Period ownership

    • The UGC Profile allows for sub-period ownership to be communicated and thus different sales/usage can be associated with such sub-periods making the overall reporting much more accurate.

  • Multiple RightsTypes

    • With many UGC services having a global coverage there is a need for licensees to adapt to very diverse copyright legislation and practices, including, for example, the separate licensing of performing and mechanical rights. The UGC profile enables ownership to be represented at the RightType level and revenue assigned accordingly.

How is an SRBV report structured?

The SRBV of the UGC profile has the following structure:

  • A DSR header;

  • A set of summary records;

  • A set of records containing information about the releases, resources, musical works and the sales/usage information related to them; and

  • A SRBV-specific footer.

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