Ditto Music to launch Bluebox app for musicians

Bluebox, which uses blockchain technology to record data, will offer tools that let musicians record ownership and split royalty payments. The news comes after Ditto raised $1m to kick start the new service.

Bluebox is expected to launch in May, according to Billboard.

Ditto says Bluebox will increase collection rates while significantly reducing the amount of earnings lost by artists. The technology will also instantly create legally binding smart contracts between all parties involved in the composition of songs, including producers, writers and sample owners, among others.

“Aside from the billions of dollars in unclaimed royalties that Bluebox will be tackling, the Bluebox app will let creators lock in their split payments at the point of creation and get paid separately and accurately for each use of that song,” Ditto Music CEO and founder Lee Parsons said.

“It’s going to revolutionise payments across the music industry and help the millions of artists claim what is rightfully theirs”.

Any information supplied to Bluebox will be verified using blockchain technology. This will allow more accurate multiple split payments for the period of the sound recording. The application will be also used in Ditto Music’s new music publishing division.

Bluebox has already secured the support of music industry partners such as MGM and Sentric Music.

Ditto claims it pays out about $100m a year to artists across the world and will be among the first to incorporate the blockchain-backed Bluebox technology into its pool of 250 000 users.

This could be great tool for all independent musicians around the world. Jammber Splits, a similar service that lets musicians record ownership and track royalty collection on their mobile devices, was launched last year but only works in the US.