MetaComet - Royalty Software

Royalty rates for streamed music in Canada may change soon

MetaComet News — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:18:27 +0000

Critics claim that Canada lags when it comes to digital music and royalties. One argument: the country is in a transitionary period in which regulatory structures and copyright law have yet to catch up with the reality of digital music. Making matters worse is that the Pandora’s Box of Napster and other forms of free downloads that have initiated a cultural sea change in how people relate to media and the idea of paying for it. Also not helping matters is that services who do wish to enter Canada must enter into a tangled web of agreements with not only labels, but artist collectives, too.

At the same time, Victoria Shepard of the Audio-Video Licensing Agency, the body that enables digital licensing in Canada, stated that Canada will soon catch up with Bill C-11, which she argued will bring Canada up to international standards when it comes to copyright law. It should be noted, however, that there is pronounced disagreement over whether forthcoming changes in Bill C-11 will foster new growth, or if it will help entrench the presence of existing industries and companies.

George Clooney and Julia Roberts sue to protect intellectual property

MetaComet News — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:15:00 +0000

Two of Hollywood’s biggest stars have joined forces on a new project: suing to protect intellectual property rights associated with their names and images.

George Clooney and Julia Roberts (suing as Julia Moder, her married name) have filed suit against Digital Projection, Inc. and Beyond Audio, two audio-visual companies that are accused of using pictures of the two stars and their trademarked names to hawk high-end movie projectors and entertainment systems. Beyond Audio appears to operate mostly in Canada and Digital Audio is based in Georgia.

Introduction To Revenue Sharing

MetaComet Communications Team — Tue, 01 May 2012 07:34:10 +0000

Revenue sharing is a tactic that many companies use today. Allowing employees to share in company profits helps to lure the best and the brightest on the market. Companies also promote revenue sharing as a way to motivate employees. Higher revenues mean more money for the employees.

Collective Bargaining Often Determines The Split

The percentage of revenues given to each side is usually determined through collective bargaining. Typically, the owners of a company will get a larger share of any revenues generated. This is to compensate them for the financial risk they undertake. A certain portion of revenues may be taken off the top for business expenses as well. For example, your boss may take $100,000 for expenses before splitting the rest of the profit.

Percentages May Be Determined By Gross Revenues

Some companies will pay a previously determined amount to all employees and contractors. Many content sites will share 50-60 percent of advertising revenues with writers. Advertisers may also decide to pay writers directly based on the content they provide. Web content writers tend to like this model because it equates to passive earnings for life.

Revenue Share Can Be Determined By Equity Stake In The Company

Corporations may split profit and loss equally among shareholders. This is the model that S-corporations follow when they are formed. Any profit or loss is passed through to the personal income tax of the shareholder. How much each person is entitled to depends on their equity basis. In other words, someone who owns 40 percent of the stock can claim 40 percent of any profit or loss.

Businesses May Share Profits On Joint Ventures

It may be necessary for companies to join forces to complete an ambitious project. Profits from this venture would then have to be split fairly among all parties. Company stock may be offered as a means of compensation. Businesses may also agree to take profits based on what they bring to the table. For example, a joint venture between an author and a grocery store may bring exposure to both parties. The author would take profits from the book while the store would take profits from the sale of its products.

Businesses have long shared their success with those who have helped achieve that success. Employees feel empowered when they know that the bottom line is important for both employer and employee. It is only right that sharing the sacrifices also means sharing the rewards.

Royalty Management is Made Easier with a New Royalty Tracker System Update from MetaComet® Systems

MetaComet Communications Team — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 07:25:52 +0000

April 12, 2012 — Each year, companies that deal with royalty management spend millions of dollars printing and distributing payee statements to authors, artists, content owners and other licensors.

With each royalty payout, these companies have a lot at stake: relationships with their payees, the potential for overpayments or underpayments, and the uncertainty and risks of errors.

For years, businesses have been turning to MetaComet® Systems for help staying organized, efficient and on the leading edge of royalty management. The company’s Royalty Tracker® system provides businesses with the most complete rights and royalties management toolkit available anywhere.

And now royalty-based businesses can take advantage of a host of new royalty management benefits with the release of the latest Royalty Tracker version 2012.2, scheduled for release on April 16, 2012. The new version of the royalty accounting software from MetaComet Systems will help improve companies’ efficiency, as well as their relationships with licensors by providing a higher level of accuracy and organization, while mitigating the associated risks.

MetaComet Systems developed the new Royalty Tracker version 2012.2 as part of their continuing commitment to stay on the leading of edge of royalty management.

“To ensure that our customers can take advantage of the latest developments and capitalize on the new opportunities of the digital age, MetaComet remains deeply committed to being at the forefront of change in our industry,” says Khalid Elkalai, MetaComet’s VP of Operations.

The new version of the royalty management software allows companies to email statements to licensors, including artists, content owners and authors, directly from Royalty Tracker. This provides a number of benefits, including giving businesses the ability to save time and money on labor, avoid attaching Word docs or PDFs to emails, and easily identify which emails were successful and correct any issues. These added benefits also help companies improve their author relationships by delivering reports electronically.

Additionally, the new enhanced system enables end users to more easily manage and configure the contents of kits, or combinations of products (an album of songs, for example), rather than being forced to rely on expensive technical resources. This not only offers immediate results, but also allows businesses to process royalties quicker.

Some of the most respected names in the business have already turned to MetaComet Systems for royalty management solutions, including Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Taylor & Francis, Pearson and more.

For more information about the new Royalty Tracker version 2012.2, please visit http://www.metacomet.com

About MetaComet® Systems:

For years, MetaComet® Systems has worked closely with businesses who handle royalty management, helping them improve both efficiency and accuracy. The company’s Royalty Tracker® System has quickly become the industry standard in helping licensors of a wide range of intellectual or physical properties stay abreast of their royalty payment needs. Since its development, MetaComet has strived to continually provide high-quality updates to the Royalty Tracker System, so that its many customers will always have access to the best and most convenient ways of processing and managing royalties and rights.

Getting Your Own Piece of the Revenue Sharing Wave

MetaComet Communications Team — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 18:34:44 +0000

Distributing the wealth of an idea’s revenue is constantly in flux in an era where sharing media is as easy as posting something on Facebook. How do top companies ensure that their earnings end up in the right place, even in the midst of social media and Google? In an effort to make this process as quick and painless as possible, many distributors are relying on revenue sharing software to manage the flow of income, and make sure that rights are protected, regardless of how complicated the contract in question may be. Here is how book, music, and arts publishers are putting their protective stamp on their intellectual property, and how the creators of these products are collecting the benefits.

Save Money First, Make Money Later

Several online publishers offer their own in-house brand of revenue sharing. The software in question is not unlike what is used by accounting software companies like Quickbooks or Sage. For independent or self-publishers, there are several options that allow for production of work online, for next to nothing, and some come from high profile providers, such as Amazon, and even Google.
Amazon offers its own solution for independent publishers. With CreateSpace, writers can bypass the time and tension of submitting their works to large scale publishing houses and get their work on the online retail giant for less than $10. Google’s eReader takes aim at the same audience, for a similar low price. Both venues appear to be equally effective, and worth looking into, especially if on a shoe string budget.

Local Possibilities

Localized revenue sharing software is another effective option for a small press or publishing house. Here, the middleman of an online distributor is taken out, leaving only you, your computer systems, and your purchased software license. With these types of software, you can ensure total privacy to the artists you represent, and with the right people on your financial and technical team, the installation, management, and modification of this kind of technology becomes a breeze.

These kinds of application can also manage contracts and generates statements maintain databases that help expedite the tracking of author and title information, as well as creating a spreadsheet of sales reports and, of course, revenue distribution. Are you looking for complete autonomy regarding your financial needs? Then you will find that this kind of software offers protection of your financial privacy and intellectual property that is nothing less than priceless.

MetaComet Systems

Eager to begin your search for royalty accounting software, but don’t know where to start? Kick off your research by learning about the company MetaComet Systems. Created by publishing industry veteran David Marlin and well-known literary agent Richard Curtis, the company was created in order to ease the anxiety of late payments and improve relationships with authors. MetaComet has since gone on to be considered a cornerstone of the industry, with many considering it the most trusted name in the business. Not bad for a side project by two artistic types who just wanted to make things easier for fellow creative types, huh?

After the effort of putting your heart and soul into a creative medium, you should be rewarded, not met with more stress. That is why looking into the proper methods for revenue sharing can be invaluable to publishers and authors alike. Whether using an online platform or purchasing software licensing, these methods of revenue sharing technology will cut through the sticky situation of distributing funds and rights to the proper parties. Instead of letting the pressure get to you, test out one of these programs today, and put your content in the best hands on the market. Your passion is your art. Give yourself the peace of mind knowing that it’s protected.

Description: While bringing creative ideas to market can be intimidating, with revenue sharing software, it is easier than ever before to attain the royalties you deserve.