Vaduz - Innosuisse, the Swiss Innovation Agency, is supporting a project of the University of Liechtenstein and St.Gallen-based start-up Helga.works. The aim of the project is to achieve fairer distribution of royalties in the music industry.

Innosuisse is to support a project launched by the University of Liechtenstein and Eastern Switzerland start-up Helga.works, based in St.Gallen. The Liechtenstein government will finance the project. According to a press release issued by the government on March 12, Head of the Office of Economic Affairs Katja Gey, university rector Christian Frommelt and Helga CEO Vincenzo Neidhardt have signed an agreement to this effect.

Helga.works develops methods that aim to ensure fair distribution of royalties to artists. According to the press release, unpaid royalties to musicians for copyrights total almost €8 billion every year.

The Department Information Systems & Computer Science at the University of Liechtenstein, together with Helga.works, is aiming to combat this “unfair distribution” with the Innosuisse-backed project. Machine learning models, such as graph neural networks, could be used to interpret incomplete and inaccurate data. A prediction service will estimate the risk and amount of unpaid royalties. 

The Innosuisse funding project is based on an agreement of January 26, 2021 between the Liechtenstein and Swiss governments on the promotion of science-based innovation and a commitment credit approved by the Liechtenstein Parliament. Companies and research institutions in Liechtenstein are therefore also eligible to apply for the Innosuisse funding program. The Liechtenstein government funds the projects.

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