On February 01, 2016, in a continuing effort to improve efficiency and accountability the Eastern Caribbean Collective Organization for Music Rights (ECCO) Inc, rolled out a new software package geared at managing the collection process of royalties, Akisoft.
Designed by Dr Wayne Goodrige, a lecturer at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, the Akisoft system will utilize the existing tariff rules for music licensing within the Eastern Caribbean territories to provide quotations and invoices for music users obtaining licenses for public use of music.
Through this automated system ECCO’s Head Office and ECCO’s agents in every ECCO administered territory are now able to directly input into the system the necessary details regarding the event, and have the respective license/permit and invoice generated on the spot; therefore eliminating the need to print forms.
Akisoft can:
– Generate Licence and Permit numbers automatically
– Give reminders and let ECCO know when licences are about to expire
– Generate ad-hoc reports (e.g. activity per user, licencing per period, etc.)
– Give an overview of all activities in the system
Akisoft Benefits includes the fact that the system is eco-friendly and more efficient than the previous paper-based system. Further the fact that Akisoft is currently utilized by other Collective Management Organizations in the region including COSCAP in Barbados and COTT in Trinidad will help foster greater collaboration with those societies.
In the near future the Akisoft system will include two mobile applications: Aki Licence Calculator and the Aki Licence Checker. These apps will both be available within the next few months. Aki Licence Calculator will enable event promoters and other music users to download the app and get quotations on licences for events on the spot.
Meanwhile, the Aki Licence Checker will allow law enforcement officers to download and connect to ECCO’s licence database and check whether or not events and businesses have the appropriate licence for the use of copyright music.
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