Web crawling events is an important tool for music collecting societiesall over the world, enabling them to identify events where music is played in public. Nowadays, public events are ususally announced and advertised digitally. For collecting societies such as GEMA, web crawling events is a key technology in order to be able to ensure comprehensive market coverage for their rightsholders in their future licensing activities. The crawling technology uses text recognition to identify and record event notifications and matches such notifications to existing reportings by licensees. In this way, unlicensed usage of music is identified and comprehensive market coverage ensured, thus securing revenues for GEMA members.

Web crawling: a key technology for the digital future

With its acquisition of deecoob, GEMA is taking its next strategic step on the path to digitalisation and growth. The crawler technology will ensure that GEMA’s market coverage of licensing public events as comprehensive as possible in the future. This is particularly important for authors of music as 2020 has turned out to be a difficult year for events. Through machine learning and artificial intelligence, the crawler technology is able to react flexibly to new event formats such as open-air concerts in drive-in cinemas. By adapting search words, new formats of events can easily be discovered, assuring licensing. Acquiring this existing technology, rather than developing a web crawler solution in-house, puts GEMA at both an economic and a strategic advantage.

deecoob remains independent

Deecoob, with its about 30 employees, will continue to operate independently out of Dresden under the GEMA umbrella. The previous managing directors of deecoob Service GmbH and deecoob Technology GmbH, Matthias Friedrich, Claudia Manicke and Thomas Thom, will continue to manage the company. Thanks to their many years of experience as GEMA contractors, deecoob employees have in-depth knowledge of GEMA, its tariff structure and the events market.
 

Why has GEMA acquired a web crawler company?
Web crawling events is an important tool for music collecting societies all over the world, enabling them to find out where music that has not been licensed is being played at public events. GEMA has been a customer of deecoob GmbH for several years and has been using its technology to ensure comprehensive market coverage in licensing public performances and communication to the public of music.
Nowadays, public events are usually announced and advertised digitally. Deecoob’s core business is conducting automated internet searches for events where music is played. Respective hits are matched with event reportings received by GEMA and licences already granted by GEMA. In this way, GEMA is able to identify unlicensed music usage and to ensure revenues are collected.
This allows collecting societies to secure distributions to their members, i.e. the rightsholders, who are economically dependent on royalties from the licence fees collected for public events.

What does deecoob do?
Deecoob GmbH’score business is conducting automated internet searches for public events where music is played. For this purpose, deecoob uses a crawler technology that searches in particular online media and social media channels for event announcements.
Respective hits are matched with event reportings received by collecting societies and licences already granted by them. In this way, colleting societies are able to identify unlicensed music usage and to ensure these important revenues are collected.
In addition, the company is responsible for data maintenance, market analysis and targeted research as well as for matching search hits with event reportings available to colleting societies.

How big is deecoob and where is it based?
The company has about 30 employees and is based in Dresden.

How big is GEMA's stake?
GEMA has acquired 100 percent of the shares in deecoob GmbH.

How will deecoob be integrated into GEMA?
Deecoob will operate as an independent entity under the GEMA umbrella. Matthias Friedrich, Claudia Manicke and Thomas Thom will continue in their role as managing directors of deecoob GmbH.

How will GEMA members benefit from the deecoob acquisition?
With this acquisition, GEMA has secured the technology and expertise of a leading event web crawling service provider and, as a result, an important source of income for its members. Members will benefit from comprehensive licensing of public musical performances that otherwise might be reported incorrectly, incompletely or not at all. This allows GEMA to secure revenues for licensing public events and thereby distributions to its members.
As 2020 has turned out to be a difficult year for events, this is particularly important for members, i.e. rightsholders. Through machine learning and artificial intelligence, the crawler technology is able to react flexibly to new event formats such as open-air concerts in drive-in cinemas. By adapting search words, new formats of events can easily be discovered, assuring licensing.
By acquiring deecoob and further developing its technological products and services, GEMA is seeking to strengthen and expand efficient rights management for its members. As deecoob operates under the GEMA umbrella, the crawler technology can be targeted to conditions in the music market.

Why does GEMA use an event web crawling technolgy?
GEMA manages the licensing of music usage on behalf of its members, for example in the context of public events. Event organisers are obliged to report their public music events to GEMA in advance. However, events are not always reported to GEMA. For GEMA, in order to fulfill its mandate as a trustee in a comprehensive manner and to be able to license music usage on behalf of its members, it is important to cover as many events at which music is played in public as possible.
This allows colleting societies to secure distributions to their members, i.e. the rightsholders, who are economically dependent on royalties from the licence fees collected for public events.