On 1 February 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 use the existing tariff rules for music licensing within the Eastern Caribbean territories to create quotations and invoices for music users obtaining licenses for public use of music. Through this automated system, ECCO’s Head Office and its agents in each administered territory are now able to directly input into the system, the necessary details about the event, and have the respective license/permit and an invoice generated on the spot; therefore eliminating the need to print forms.
Akisoft can:
- Generate Licence and Permit numbers automatically
- Calculate agents’ commissions with ease
- Give reminders and let ECCO know when licences are about to expire
- Generate ad-hoc reports (e.g. activity per user, licensing per period, etc.)
- Give an overview of all activities in the system
Akisoft is eco-friendly and more efficient than the earlier paper-based system. Also, since it is now used by other Collective Management Organizations in the region including COSCAP in Barbados and COTT in Trinidad, it will foster greater collaboration with those societies.
The Akisoft system will include 2 mobile applications: Aki Licence Calculator, and the Aki Licence Checker, which 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; while the Aki Licence Checker will allow law enforcement officers to download and connect to ECCO’s licence database, and check whether events and businesses have the proper licence for the use of copyrighted music.
