Industry News

Iris Distribution's BlinkerActive marketing agency has created an online shop where developers can acquire licenses for use in their mobile apps. Launched on Tuesday, NoiseClerk  offers over 10,000 pre-cleared titles at flat rates of $100 for music or $10 for sound effects.

"It's beneficial to developers because they can quickly find what they want and clear it," BlinkerActive Chief Marketing Officer Bryn Boughton tells Billboard. "It's all at a fixed price and it limits their liability."

Customers can search for music by artist as well as such parameters as genre, mood, key, tempo and vocal presence. They can also choose from music in custom playlists such as a collection of nine works picked for their appropriateness for puzzle games.

Revenue is split 50/50 by BlinkerActive and rights holders. Each license grants a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive right to use a master recording and its underlying composition in a unique application across all platforms (iPhone, Android, Windows, etc.).

Being around so many developers in the San Francisco area gave Boughton insight into their music needs. Right now developers approach music as more of an afterthought while those who do seek out a license are uncertain about their options, she says.  So BlinkerActive built NoiseClerk to reduce the friction involved with licensing while helping labels distributed by Iris. "It helps grow that community," she says. "We feel like that's going to be a big part of the future of music."

NoiseClerk is the latest in a series of developments that show the growing importance of mobile apps. In February, for example, The Echo Nest announced a partnership with Island Def Jam that will allow developers to build commercial apps using the label's catalog. And the growing popularity and prominence of Music Hack Day events around the world exemplifies the innovation and creativity app developers are infusing into music at the grass roots level.