Maching Catalog to Revenue

Overview

When DSP sale reports arrive—either by manual upload or automatic ingestion—Revelator processes each transaction line, searching for a corresponding track in your catalog. The Matcher uses a combination of metadata fields (like track name, artist name, ISRC, etc.) to confirm whether a line belongs to an existing track or if a new entry must be created. Lines that fail to match are flagged as Unmatched and require user input to resolve.

Prerequisites

1. Access to Finance: You must have the appropriate user permissions to view and manage the Finance section.

2. Supported File Formats: Ensure your report is in a format Revelator can parse. For example, CSV, or TXT from recognized DSPs or distributors.

3. Catalog Management: Ideally, you have a clean catalog with accurate metadata (ISRC codes, track titles, etc.), to minimize unmatched lines upon import.

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Who Is It For?

• Label Managers & Account Owners responsible for ensuring each track’s earnings are accurately accounted for.

• Finance and Accounting Teams who frequently reconcile statements across multiple DSPs and must guarantee every line item is attributed to the correct track version.

• Catalog Admins who manage metadata consistency, including track IDs, ISRC codes, and naming conventions.

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Key Benefits

1. Automated Linking: Saves time by auto-matching common track details, reducing manual data entry.

2. Data Integrity: Ensures that financial data lines up with the correct tracks, releases, or artists.

3. Flexible Matching Rules: Handles variations in naming or metadata across different DSPs.

4. Reduced Errors: Fewer missed earnings or incorrect revenue splits due to mismatched or orphaned lines.

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How It Works: Step by Step Guides

Key Steps in the Matching Process:

1. Automatic Match: Revelator runs its matching rules to link each line to a catalog track.

2. User Review: For lines flagged Unmatched or requiring confirmation, users can manually confirm the correct catalog entry or approve the creation of a new track in the catalog.

3. Reprocess: If lines remain unmatched (perhaps due to incomplete metadata), you can update your catalog and trigger a reprocess to let the system re-check those lines.

1. Match Rules Overview

Revelator typically checks a combination of the following fields to determine if a sale line corresponds to an existing track in your catalog:

1. ISRC (International Standard Recording Code)

2. Track Title

3. Artist Name

4. Release/Album Title (optional secondary check)

Exact vs. Fuzzy Matching:

• Exact matches occur when the ISRC and/or track metadata precisely align with an existing catalog entry.

• Fuzzy matches may result if there’s a minor difference in spelling or formatting (e.g., “ft.” vs. “feat.” in the artist name). These might prompt a user review to confirm the correct association.

2. Automatic Matching Upon Report Ingestion

1. Report Ingest: When a DSP report is uploaded or automatically fetched, Revelator processes each line.

2. Match Attempt: The system compares each line’s metadata to your existing catalog using the match rules.

3. Matched Lines: If a line finds a match, it’s linked directly. Matched lines usually don’t require manual intervention.

4. Unmatched Lines: Lines that fail to meet the match criteria appear as “Unmatched” in the report summary, requiring user action.

3. Handling Unmatched Lines

1. Open the Report: In the Finance section, locate the newly ingested or existing report that shows unmatched lines.

2. Select an Unmatched Line: Click to expand the line and see its details (track name, artist, ISRC, etc.).

3. Match to Existing Catalog Entry:

   • Option A: If you see a suggested track from your catalog (e.g., a fuzzy match), select it and confirm.

   • Option B: Manually search for the correct track by name, ISRC, or release if the system didn’t suggest it.

4. Approve as New Track: If you confirm the unmatched line truly represents a new track not in your catalog, you can approve it as a new entry.

5. Save: Once you finalize each line’s status, those unmatched lines become matched, and future references to the same metadata should match automatically.

4. Reprocessing Lines After Catalog Updates

1. Update Catalog: If you discover your catalog is missing an ISRC or has incomplete metadata (e.g., an alternate track title), correct or add those details to your catalog.

2. Reprocess: Return to the unmatched report and click Reprocess for individual lines or the entire report.

3. Automatic Match: Revelator runs the matching rules again. Now that the catalog is updated, lines that previously failed to match may link automatically.

4. Manual Confirmation: For lines that remain unmatched, repeat the manual match or approve-as-new steps above.

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Matching Rules & Logic Explained

1. Primary Key: ISRC

   • If the line’s ISRC matches exactly one in your catalog, Revelator will automatically link it, ignoring minor discrepancies in track or artist names.

2. Secondary Fields: Track Title & Artist

   • If the ISRC is missing or partial, the system looks at track and artist names. It may allow for minor variations (fuzzy match) as long as they pass a similarity threshold (e.g., “Song Title - Radio Edit” vs. “Song Title”).

3. Confidence Score

   • The system assigns a confidence level based on how closely the line’s metadata matches a catalog entry. Lines below a certain threshold are flagged for user review.

4. Priority

   • ISRC > Track Title > Artist Name > Release Title. The system checks fields in this order, weighting them accordingly for the final match decision.

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Frequently Asked Questions

• What if the ISRC is blank or incorrect in the DSP report? Revelator will rely on the track title and artist name to match. If results aren’t accurate, update the metadata manually or assign the correct ISRC in your catalog, then reprocess.

• How do fuzzy matches appear in the interface? Often, you’ll see a suggested match with a label indicating partial similarity. You can confirm or reject the suggestion.

• Can I batch match multiple lines to the same track? Yes—if multiple lines refer to the same track but have slight metadata variations (e.g., language, region, or a typographical discrepancy), you can select them and match them all at once to a single catalog entry.

• Does matching affect my track metadata in the catalog? Generally, no. Matching lines to an existing track doesn’t override your catalog’s metadata. However, if you choose to approve a line as a “new track,” Revelator will create a brand-new entry in your catalog with the line’s metadata.

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Additional Resources

• Finance Overview: Managing Unmatched Lines

• Catalog Management & Metadata Best Practices

• How to Handle Manual Imports & DSP Integrations

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Next Steps and Future Releases

• Enhanced Fuzzy Logic: Improved algorithms for matching in cases of non-Roman characters or multiple language variations.

• ISRC Validation: Additional checks to flag invalid or malformed ISRCs for quick resolution.

• Workflow Improvements: UI updates allowing more granular control (e.g., partial batch matching for multiple lines with different track references).

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Tip: Maintaining a clean, accurate catalog with complete metadata (particularly ISRC codes) is the best way to reduce unmatched lines. The more consistent your track and artist data is, the fewer manual matches you’ll need to perform.