MusicMaster Blog

Why Stay Current?

By Dave Tyler

Quite often I get calls from Programmers asking about the different versions and releases of MusicMaster and what those differences mean. After nearly 40 years of development there have been many versions of MusicMaster all the way back to our DOS version. The majority of users are on our latest version, PRO 7.0, which is amazing!

In addition to there being various versions over our timeline like 4.0, 5.0, 6.0 and now 7.0 there are also “service releases” within those versions that include functionality improvements, feature and performance additions, report updates and fixes.

Does Everyone Need To Be On The Same Version?

The answer to this is “Yes” if we are talking about working in a single database (Station). If you, your PD and MD all work for radio station W*** then you all need to be on the same version (5.0, 6.0 7.0 etc) because once a database is open in a newer version of MusicMaster it can no longer be opened by the earlier version. I always recommend if you are moving up a version (example: Updating from 6.0 to 7.0) that you make a backup of your 6.0 data and put it somewhere safe and then move on. It is important if one user wants to update to the latest version that everyone is on the same page and ready to do the same. Remember if I update to 7.0 and open the database and my two colleagues do not update, they will not be able to open and work in the data any longer until they also update to 7.0. Updating your version to our latest greatest is as easy as opening MusicMaster then going to Help/Check for Update or you can download the full version by registering and downloading it from our website Support Center.

Does Everyone Need To Be On The Latest Service Release?

Although it is always recommended that everyone be on the latest version to get the most out of this powerful software, it is not necessary for users working in the same database to be on the same service release. In other words if the PD is on 7.0.02, the MD is on 7.0.5 and the OM is on 7.0.10 there will be no issues and everyone can continue just fine. This is what I mean by “service releases”. The “7” is the major version release number. The “.0.0x” is the service release number. Everyone just needs to be on “7”. The only concern with my example would be that a user on 7.0.10 might have a new feature that the users on 7.0.2 or 7.0.5 don’t have.

One of the more obvious examples of that has to do with our work with various reporting agencies like ASCAP/BMI, Sound Exchange and CRTC. Their requirements can change from time to time. Since we work with these organizations to make sure the reports are accurate, staying on the latest version and service release means your reports are in line with what the organizations have requested. Of course, that also means you will always have the most powerful, productive and high performing version of MusicMaster software at your fingertips.

We understand that updating software is not something you do often, so if you’d like any assistance checking your version and updating to a newer release, do not hesitate to contact your Music Scheduling Consultant.