Updates to Artist Instructions page

We’ve added some new items in our Artist Instructions pages, and updated some of the existing items with simpler steps to get things done. If you’re an artist using SNOCAP, check it out!

SNOCAP Opt-Tunz

SNOCAP Opt-Tunz is a service that monitors and enables varying business models between content rights holders and content distributors. Opt-Tunz identifies music and provides information about how that content can be used by Distributors. When Rights Holders participate in the business model facilitated by Opt-Tunz, they generate revenue from the Distributor based on the amount of their content that is consumed.

Read more about Opt-Tunz in this whitepaper.

Attention CD Baby Artists!

Thanks to our partnerships with CD Baby and MySpace, SNOCAP MyStores have been created automatically for CD Baby artists and are ready to be integrated on artists’ MySpace pages. If you are a CD Baby artist and haven’t already integrated your MyStore on your MySpace page, here are the instructions for doing so.

MyStore Mashups

MyStore is about giving artists the freedom to promote themselves. One of the things that makes MyStore unique is that it puts ecommerce in context—you don’t need to leave the page you’re on to buy the music you want. When you combine this with the viral features of the storefront, you have something that capitalizes on social network dynamics and conforms to the social norms of these networks. To take full advantage of these viral capabilities, we’ve introduced an open API that lets web developers create mashups that combine MyStores and their own web content. For example, a web site may wish to add MyStores on pages that discuss a particular artist or song, allowing users to sample, purchase and download relevant tracks.

The MyStore Search API accepts artist names and/or track titles passed as URL parameters and returns results as an object in javascript object notation (JSON). The results include MyStore IDs that can be used to render MyStore storefronts. The API is documented here.

Beta MyStore Search Interface

We’ve added a new entry to our BETA Software page! The MyStore Search interface allows you to search for music available for purchase on MyStores. You supply artist name and/or track titles and get a list of MyStores that match. As with all MyStores, you can buy the tracks directly where the stores appear.

The Psychology of Social Networks and Anonymous File Sharing

Do social networks humanize content ownership and deter unsanctioned distribution?

As more and more artists register their tracks with SNOCAP and begin selling unencrypted audio files on social networks like MySpace, questions arise about whether that content will be redistributed against the wishes of the rights holders. We believe that while this possibility exists, the personal connection created by social network interaction will significantly affect the way people treat this content. We believe that people are less likely to redistribute copyrighted material when they purchase it from an artist’s profile page on a social network versus when they get it of an anonymous peer to peer network. Leading psychology researchers in the field of social responses to communication technology concur, and there’s an interesting body of research to support this.

The Role of Content Identification in the SNOCAP System

SNOCAP uses acoustic fingerprinting technology to identify audio content submitted for registration. In this article, I explain a little about acoustic fingerprinting, how it differs from other methods of content identification, and why this level of identification is important for SNOCAP and the integrity of our open registry.

Welcome to the Lab!

SNOCAP Labs is a place to learn more about how our technology works, see how it can be used in real-world applications, and get hands-on experience with beta and prototype software that puts SNOCAP to work. We’ve kicked things off by posting some whitepapers describing the technological underpinnings of our digital licensing and copyright management services. Later, we’ll post additional whitepapers, links to software that makes use of the SNOCAP system, and articles about digital music technology.

If there are specific questions about our technology that you have, or topics of interest you’d like to see discussed, please leave a comment.