Finnish music startup to launch digital tools for songwriters

The toolkit will focus on independent artists and will comprise features such as the Song Title Checker, which can be used to check whether a title of a track has already been used or has similar words.

The company says the innovation can help ensure that titles stand out when people search for them on streaming services. Airplay Revenue, another feature of the toolkit, monitors the number of plays across radio stations in the UK and can show the exact amount of money paid to a songwriter by the radio station for that song.

Other tools include a recently launched rights security service called MgNTa, which identifies and protects the revenue of future songwriters, while the Cover Song Finder tool will help songwriters track any cover version that appears on streaming services to get paid.

“As a songwriter, you want to focus on the creative at all times which is how great songs come to be,” Family in Music chief innovative officer Kevin Bacon, who co-founded Sony-owned AWAL (Artists Without a Label) in 2004, said. “Our view is that technology has long been part of making music and now we want to harness it to create modern tools for the modern songwriter to enhance their creative and commercial journey.”

Family in Music managing director Tim Delaney said: “There are vast numbers of fantastically creative and talented songwriters who are just not part of the traditional music industry model for a variety of reasons. Family in Music wants to empower and support them so they can grow creatively and give them our tools to guide them and help them prosper.”

Family in Music founder Juka Hynynen said: “I started my music career as a songwriter and these tools are close to my heart. Securing the rights and proof of creation is the basis for everything.”