POWER STUDIO

PowerGold Link

PowerGold Link is an additional tool for stations that use PowerGold in their music scheduling workflow.

When To Use It

Use it when the station needs to link existing Power Studio tracks to songs in a PowerGold database.

The tool looks up PowerGold songs through an ODBC data source, compares them with tracks in Power Studio and writes the matching Power Studio track ID back to the PowerGold song field used by the tool. In the tool text this is described as the Song-Miscellaneous field.

Use it only when the station's music scheduling process requires PowerGold integration. Keep the workflow documented locally, including:

  • Which system is authoritative for music scheduling.
  • Which files are exported or imported.
  • Where exchange files are stored.
  • Who runs the workflow.
  • How the output is checked before broadcast.

Before You Start

Confirm these points before running the tool:

  • Power Studio can connect to the correct station database.
  • The PowerGold database is available through a working ODBC DSN.
  • The station has a recent database backup.
  • The operator knows which PowerGold categories should be considered.
  • The station has decided whether smart matching and fuzzy matching should be used.

Run PowerGold Link outside live operation and review the result before relying on changed scheduling data.

Workflow

  1. Start PowerGold Link from the installed Power Studio tools.
  2. Select the ODBC DSN that points to the PowerGold database.
  3. Choose the PowerGold categories that should be considered for linking.
  4. Choose the search options.
  5. Run the link process.
  6. Review the result in PowerGold and Power Studio.

Matching Behavior

PowerGold Link matches Power Studio tracks against PowerGold songs using title, artist and running time. The tool can also use smart matching and fuzzy matching to compensate for common differences in spelling or formatting.

For jingles, promos and spots, the tool can use title-only matching when title and artist matching does not find a candidate.

When a match is found, the tool can align the Power Studio track title and artist with the matched PowerGold song. Review the result after the run, especially when fuzzy matching was enabled.

Check The Result

Always verify imported playlists in Power Studio before using them on air.

After running PowerGold Link:

  • review a sample of matched songs in PowerGold;
  • review changed titles and artists in Power Studio;
  • check unmatched tracks in the PowerGold Link log;
  • generate or review a test playlist before using the workflow on air;
  • keep notes about the DSN, categories and matching options used for the run.

Troubleshooting

If the PowerGold database is not listed, check the ODBC DSN on the computer running the tool.

If too many tracks remain unmatched, first check title, artist and runtime consistency between Power Studio and PowerGold. Then decide whether smart matching or fuzzy matching should be enabled for a controlled test run.

If an incorrect match is found, correct the metadata in the authoritative system and rerun the workflow only after the station agrees on the intended match.