The MUWISTAR project, funded by a national research grant and coordinated by a consortium of industry and academic partners, ran from November 2016 until its early termination in May 2018, although the original schedule extended to April 2019. The consortium’s core partners included a leading music‑technology firm, a publishing house, a small‑to‑medium‑sized label, and a university research group. Their roles were distributed across requirement gathering, framework design, prototype development, and field testing, with the project sponsor overseeing progress and budget. A strong partner acted as a community driver, organising workshops and stakeholder meetings to capture industry needs and validate solutions.

The technical outcome of the project is a modular framework for digitalising business processes in the music industry, centred on a use case called “Musikfolgemeldung” (music follow‑up reporting). The framework was first articulated as a concept and then realised as a working prototype. Key technical components include data import, data management, and data export modules that can ingest concert lists, GEMA‑NA (German performance rights organisation) usage data, and billing records. The prototype implements a semi‑automated verification routine that cross‑checks GEMA usage statements against actual performance data, flagging discrepancies for further review. Wireframes and click‑dummies were produced early in the design phase to refine user interaction and were later validated in real‑world pilot deployments. The prototype’s functionality has already been tested in several industry settings, demonstrating its readiness for operational use.

Methodologically, the project conducted a qualitative study titled “Digitalisierung in der Musikwirtschaft” (Digitalisation in the Music Industry), which involved 14 expert interviews with representatives from booking agencies, publishers, labels, artists, producers, and IT vendors. The interviews, recorded over 11 hours, were transcribed and coded using the f4 software, yielding thematic clusters that informed the framework’s requirements. The demographic analysis revealed that most participants operated in small‑to‑medium enterprises but held multiple roles, underscoring the need for integrated solutions across the value chain. The study’s findings were published by B&S Siebenhaar Verlag and serve as a barometer for industry needs and a basis for actionable recommendations.

The project also produced a comprehensive “Lessons Learned” report, summarising insights on collaboration dynamics, goal alignment, and data redundancy issues. It highlighted the importance of early community engagement and the challenges posed by external events such as the Bruno Kramm ruling and changes in publisher participation, which ultimately led to the project’s early conclusion. Despite the shortened timeline, the artefacts—framework concept, prototype, and empirical study—have proven valuable for stakeholders seeking to streamline rights management and reporting processes. The consortium plans to continue exploiting the results through economic and scientific channels, including further research on digital rights administration and the development of additional use cases within the music industry ecosystem.