International NightLife Association

The International Nightlife Association (INA) proudly announces a new strategic agreement with KUVO powered by DJ Monitor, a global Music Recognition Technology (MRT) leader, which aims to enhance music insights for venues worldwide and improve the accuracy of creators’ royalty payments. This agreement marks a further step in implementing MRT systems in venues worldwide—an initiative the INA has been promoting since 2023, following its collaboration with the Spanish company BMAT.

 

The signing of this new agreement aims to support electronic music creators while providing valuable music insights to venues, helping them optimize their businesses. It represents a major step toward empowering the music rights industry with a broader and more reliable set of data, ensuring that the creators of the music played by DJs receive fairer compensation.

 

KUVO powered by DJ Monitor is a partnership between AlphaTheta and DJ Monitor for music identification in nightlife venues. Integrated solutions have been developed to leverage their unique strengths within DJ and Music Recognition Technology (MRT). With the INA’s support, this initiative seeks to establish the deployment of this technology as standard practice across the global nightlife and DJ events industry. By fostering stronger relationships between music rights organizations, venues, DJs, and creators, this initiative aims to build a more transparent and equitable music royalty ecosystem on a global scale.

 

Participation in this initiative comes at no cost to venues. It does not impact the license fees venues pay for music and fully respects DJ setlist privacy—no details of which DJ played which tracks are captured by the technology, and no playlists are publicized. It allows DJs to support the creators of the music they play effortlessly, by playing their tracks.

 

Yuri Dokter, CEO of DJ Monitor, has stated, "We are thrilled to join forces with the International Nightlife Association to enhance transparency and fairness in music royalty distribution across the global nightlife industry. This collaboration reinforces our commitment to providing the most advanced music recognition technology, ensuring that artists, composers, and rights holders receive accurate and fair compensation for their work. By integrating KUVO powered by DJ Monitor’s cutting-edge music identification solutions with the INA’s initiatives, we are taking a significant step toward creating a more sustainable and data-driven music ecosystem within nightlife venues worldwide."

 

In addition, Joaquim Boadas, Secretary General of the INA, stated after signing the agreement that "Our partnership with KUVO powered by DJ Monitor marks a major milestone in our efforts to protect the rights of music creators and ensure fair remuneration for their work in nightlife venues, something that we have been working for over two years now. Integrating music recognition technology into our industry standards strengthens the credibility and commitment of nightlife establishments to ethical and transparent music usage. This agreement benefits artists and rights holders and helps venues demonstrate their compliance with fair music licensing practices, ultimately fostering a more responsible and forward-thinking nightlife sector."

 

In the same sense, Michael Kill, Vice President of the INA, has said, “I’m proud to share that the International Nightlife Association has entered a strategic agreement with KUVO powered by DJ Monitor, a leader in Music Recognition Technology. This partnership builds on the success we’ve had with BMAT since 2023. It echoes the important work already happening in the UK through similar collaboration—efforts that are actively moving us toward a more equitable position for artists. In my opinion, this is a major step toward creating a more transparent and fair nightlife ecosystem. DJs and venues thrive on music, and it’s only right that the creators behind the tracks are  appropiately recognized and compensated. What’s especially important is that this comes at no cost to venues and fully respects DJ privacy—no set lists shared, no tracking of who played what. This initiative empowers both venues and creators, and I believe it’s time we make this technology standard across global nightlife.”

 

 

As many of you know, in 2023, the INA introduced MRT system, alongside meeting other criteria, such as staying up to date with their country’s Collective Management Organizations (CMOs) for obtaining the International Nightlife Acoustic Quality (INAQ) distinction that is part of the Triple Excellence in Nightlife. These measures is to further reinforce nightlife venues' commitment to protecting artists’ and composers’ rights and contribute to a fairer and more efficient music ecosystem.

 

 

KUVO powered by DJ Monitor is a partnership service from AlphaTheta Corporation, a market leader in the design and production of innovative DJ products and software (former company name: Pioneer DJ Corporation), and DJ Monitor, the market-leading music recognition technology for electronic music venues and events.

 

We have a shared mission of Empowering Music Through Data:

• Supporting Music Creators by empowering the industry with reliable data to enable accurate royalty payments for the music played in venues and events.

• Supporting Venues with music insights and incentives to enhance venue businesses.

• Respecting DJ Setlist Privacy - No publicized playlists and no details of which DJ played which tracks are captured by the technology.