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The Idea For Kollector Was Launched By Co-founders Derwa And Recording Studio Owner Pascal Flamme ; In December Last Year, The 2 Set Up The Company And Started Doing Research On The Radio Airplay Tracking.

BRUSSELS Less than a month after Dominique Derwa presented Kollector at the World Copyright Summit in Brussels, the innovative airplay-tracking system is monitoring more than 1,500 stations in 52 nations worldwide . The newest additions to the Kollector database include some forty German and 60 Latin American stations.

The idea for Kollector was launched by co-founders Derwa and recording studio owner Pascal Flamme ; in December last year, the two set up the company and began to do research on the radio airplay tracking.

After a demonstration of Kollector, Universal Music Belgium decided to submit a considerable number of track titles as a test case for the new system.

"With the Nielsen Music Control system we are provided weekly tallies of most-played songs on the radio in Belgium, with separate data for Flanders, Wallonia and the whole country, assembled as an airplay chart," asserted Patrick Guns, promoting and sales director with Universal Music Belgium.

"With Jessie J, we've got a new signing with cross-border potential and already a number-one airplay hit ['Price Tag'] under the belt and a new single, 'Nobody's Perfect,' just out ; this is an engaging artist to follow the international airplay," claimed Guns.

"And it works. Kollector allows us to see exactly when, for example, Q-Music in Holland gave "Price Tag" a spin, or when NRJ France played LMFAO's 'Party Rock Anthem,' another Universal release."

Guns expounded the system, with correct airplay info, allows Universal music to prepare promotion campaigns. As an example, if a particular track is gaining airplay on a number of stations in France, where many Belgians spend their summer holidays, a label may decide to push the tune to Belgian stations too.

"But too much information might be a disadvantage," said Guns. "When a single station in Australia, as an example, is playing one of our tracks, we may decide not to base a promotion campaign on this. On the other hand, with Universal Music's huge back catalog, we now see that supposed conventional hit-radio stations were playing quite a lot of Bon Jovi's older songs before the band's concert here in July. A little bit of preparation and homework for radio promo people could bring excellent results with the Kollector information.".

Christoffel Cocquyt of Gentle Management is the boss of Warner Music Benelux recording artist Selah Sue. He was invited for a beta-test of the system three months ago and submitted some 100 songs to Kollector.

"It is a great tool, especially when domestic artists go abroad," expounded Cocquyt. "Selah Sue's eponymously titled album licensed for double platinum here and is charting in France, the Netherlands and Italy. It's a pan-European release and Kollector is providing us with sufficient info on airplay action."

Cocquyt gathers that rights administration may have been Derwa and Flamme's first goal, but he's persuaded that Kollector holds more benefits for artists, labels and managers.

"Selah Sue played shows in Munich and Berlin last week, and the results started dropping in straight after. What you see is correct info and that is what counts," he revealed. "The Kollector information also put the concept of 'rotation' in a different standpoint, when the quantity of plays should be available to label promo people."

Kollector could also help fine-tuning promotion efforts.

Cocquyt cites the example where, during summer holidays, radio stations apply for backstage interviews. With Kollector, bosses can create a real profile of a station before approving an interview.

"The one thing I'd love to see with Kollector is that, whereas today we will follow singles airplay around the planet it'd be engaging to view an overall profile of an artist : Where are they playing Selah Sue's singles? That'd be great," he revealed.

FOR RADIO

At press time, rock radio stations were not trialling Kollector, but Derwa said that, once the database contains enough titles, the system could ease administration of airplay reporting. Kollector could generate airplay lists mechanically to provide to performance rights collection societies.

Johan Notenbaert, head of music at Q-Music and JOEfm expounded that now the airplay lists are generated from their Dalet 5.1 playout system and those logs are forwarded to Sabam, the Belgian author's rights society, weekly. "We have an airplay ranking list, but just for internal use," Notenbaert announced.

Now, Kollector is offering a free test version of the system via its website ; Derwa wants to launch a commercial version by year-end.

"Our final promotional strategy is in full development, but the idea is that we will charge credits for each song clients want to follow. The more credits clients buy, the less expensive they come and the more songs are monitored worldwide," he announced, writes radioworld.com.