# Deduplicating Sound Recording Rightsholders and Phonogram Producers > How Noctil's MatchIQ and ProcessEngine resolve label and company names into unique sound recording rightsholders (phonogram producers) — across imprints, parent companies, distributors and changing ownership — into one record per rightsholder, at under 0.01% error. - Segment: Music Rights Organization - Platform: Noctil Platform - Capabilities: MatchIQ, ProcessEngine - Author: Jacob Varghese - Published: 2026-11-02 - Source: https://www.noctil.com/use-cases/deduplicating-sound-recording-rightsholders-phonogram-producers **In short:** Noctil's MatchIQ engine resolves the label and company names found in sound recording data into unique sound recording rightsholders, also known as phonogram producers. It handles legal-name variants, imprints, parent companies, distributors listed in place of owners, and catalogs that change hands. ProcessEngine then merges matched records into one complete rightsholder profile under the organization's own rules, with ownership tracked over time, sending only uncertain cases to human review. In benchmark testing, rightsholder matching produced fewer than 0.01% false positives or false negatives. --- _Pay the right rightsholder, however many names it trades under. For neighbouring rights societies and producer CMOs that need one accurate record for each sound recording rightsholder (phonogram producer) across labels, imprints and changing ownership._ ## The Situation Neighbouring rights societies pay two groups for every sound recording: its performers, and its sound recording rightsholder, the phonogram producer. That is usually a record label or the company that owns the master. Rightsholder information arrives on every recording registration, release and partner society file. Across millions of recordings, the same rightsholder appears thousands of times, under different names, entities and imprints. Before producer royalties can be paid correctly, every appearance has to be linked to the right rightsholder. ## The Problem Rightsholder data is messy in ways that are particular to the recorded music business: - **Legal-name variants.** The same company appears as "Records", "Recordings", "Music", with or without Ltd, Inc, GmbH or S.A., with abbreviations, or transliterated from another script. - **Labels, imprints and parent companies.** A recording can be credited to an imprint, a label or the parent group. Each may or may not be the actual rightsholder, and the hierarchy has to be understood. - **Distributors listed as owners.** Distributors and aggregators often appear in the label field, even though they don't own the recording. - **Ownership that changes over time.** Catalog sales, mergers and licensing deals move recordings between rightsholders. Who should be paid depends on the period of use and sometimes the territory. - **Several entities per company.** Major and independent groups operate different legal entities in different countries, each of which may be the registered rightsholder locally. - **Missing identifiers.** Party identifiers such as DDEX Party IDs (DPIDs), label codes and ISNI are often absent, and ISRC registrant codes don't always point to the current owner. Duplicate rightsholder records split producer royalties across several identities. Wrong merges pay a company for recordings it doesn't own. Both create disputes and audit risk. ## The Solution The Noctil Platform combines MatchIQ for matching with ProcessEngine for workflow, to build one trusted record for every sound recording rightsholder. 1. **Company-name intelligence.** MatchIQ normalizes legal suffixes, common label words, abbreviations and transliterations, so variants of the same company name resolve together. 2. **Corporate hierarchy modelling.** Imprints, labels, parent groups and country entities are linked in a hierarchy. The organization can tell which entity is the rightsholder of record while still seeing the whole group. 3. **Owner versus distributor.** Distributors and aggregators are recognized and separated from the owners of the recordings they deliver. 4. **Contextual disambiguation.** Similar or shared names are told apart using the catalog each one controls, P-line credits, ISRC registrant codes, territories and partner society data. 5. **Ownership over time.** Catalog sales, mergers and licences are recorded as dated changes of ownership rather than overwritten, so each period of use is paid to the right rightsholder. 6. **Identifier use and enrichment.** DPIDs, label codes, ISNI and company registration numbers are used wherever they exist. Newly confirmed identifiers enrich the rightsholder record. 7. **Workflow orchestration with ProcessEngine.** ProcessEngine merges matched records under the organization's rules. It sends uncertain matches, such as a possible catalog transfer or two similar company names, to human review, and records every decision for audit. ## The Result - **Fewer than 0.01%** false positives or false negatives in rightsholder matching, based on benchmark testing - **One record per rightsholder**, with every name variant, imprint and country entity linked - **Ownership tracked over time**, so catalog sales and licences are reflected in every distribution - **Producer royalties paid to the right rightsholder**, without duplicate records splitting payments - **Fewer disputes and a clean audit trail** for every ownership decision ## Frequently Asked Questions **What is a sound recording rightsholder in neighbouring rights?** The sound recording rightsholder, also called the phonogram producer, is the person or company that owns the master recording. It is usually a record label, and it receives the producer share of neighbouring rights royalties. **How do neighbouring rights societies deduplicate labels and rightsholders?** Noctil's MatchIQ resolves company names from recording data into unique rightsholders, using name normalization, corporate hierarchy, catalog, P-line credits and identifiers. ProcessEngine merges matched records into one profile. **Can MatchIQ tell a distributor apart from the rightsholder?** Yes. Distributors and aggregators are recognized and kept separate from the owners of the recordings they deliver. **How are catalog sales and label acquisitions handled?** Changes of ownership are recorded with dates instead of being overwritten, so each period of use is paid to the rightsholder who owned the recording at the time. **Which identifiers does MatchIQ use for rightsholders?** DDEX Party IDs (DPIDs), label codes, ISNI, company registration numbers and ISRC registrant codes, wherever available. When they are missing, MatchIQ infers the rightsholder from context. **Who is this for?** Neighbouring rights societies, producer and record label collecting bodies, and rights administrators that pay sound recording rightsholders.