Australia gets Kobalt’s new “first of a kind” app

Australian songwriters and artists who are signed to Kobalt Music Publishing can now track their earnings, synch activity, YouTube and music usage around the world, all in real time.

New York based music services Kobalt, which has operations in Australia, says that the new free Kobalt App is the first of a kind in terms of transparency. Designed for iOS devices, it is available in any country where the Apple App Store operates. The Android version is planned for release in the near future.

“This connection between a creator’s works and their income is the first of its kind,” said Willard Ahdritz, Kobalt founder and CEO. “It’s a fundamental shift in the relationship between rights owners and their data. Imagine how that will influence their decisions, shape their perspectives on the industry and streaming, empowering them with the facts.

“I believe this will have an enormous impact on the future of music – out of the dark ages, full access, in real time. All in one app. The revolution continues!”

Kobalt has over 8000 songwriters and 500 publishers on its books. It claims on average over 40% of the top 100 songs and albums in both the US and UK. Its music creators include Beck, Dr Luke, Kelly Clarkson, Dave Grohl, deadmau5, Max Martin, Paul McCartney, Pitbull, Ryan Tedder, Sam Smith, Noah “40” Shebib and Skrillex.

Kobalt also claims it collects more money, faster for its clients, than any other music publisher. A recent comparison of six Top 100 songs, each administered 50% by Kobalt and 50% by one of the major publishers, affirmed that Kobalt collects 20-40% more for its clients, significantly faster.

This uplift does not include the additional increase that Kobalt is forecasting from AMRA, as early figures showed last week a 28% uplift in Spotify and YouTube revenues within a single quarter since AMRA began administering Kobalt’s catalogue in Europe.

The app’s key features allows songwriters and publishers to scroll through their Top 100 music earnings at a glance. They have daily activity on all publishing sources including Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and Pandora.

Kobalt account updates include real-time synch activity, payments and registration. The YouTube tracking cover official video, a cover or a viral sensation. Creators can see the money they’re making in real time, and break down income by top earning works, right type, or country. They can also compare financial data across previous quarters, and find out when their statements are due.

As for synch, clients keep a tab from pitch to payment. They can favorite the synch opportunities they want to follow closely, or tap to explore more details.

Ahdritz adds, “Putting the power of Kobalt into the hands of creators has always been a top priority for me. Today’s music creators deserve the same transparent, on-demand access to their data that most other industries already have.

“The Kobalt App is a giant step toward delivering that for our clients. The feedback we are getting from our clients is incredible – no one has seen anything like this before! This is the only app that delivers true transparency for creators.”

One of Kobalt’s clients, Garry Go – who’s written or produced for Rihanna, Skrillex, Steve Angello and Benny Benassi – quips that the Kobalt app would be his second choice app to have on his phone after the mail app. “As a songwriter and independent publisher, this app is a dream utility,” he comments.

Jonny Quinn of Snow Patrol and music publisher, Polar Patrol states, “As a fan of the Kobalt Portal, the new app is stunning. At a glance, its real time info with artwork and simple to use. It gives you all the song details you need in seconds. The synch tracking and updates are killer!”

The app can be downloaded at koba.lt/KobaltApp.