Right now, most of the industry uses EIDR IDs for distribution and metadata management. But as EIDR becomes universal, there are a number of ways in which it will help manage internal workflows and reduce costs:
- Contracts. Because EIDR IDs are unique world-wide for each work, and are managed by a neutral party, they represent an excellent way of removing ambiguity in contracts and agreements.
- Subcontracting. Production houses and their vendors often juggle multiple projects at the same time. Effects or dubbing work, for instance, may be tied only to specific versions of a project, and be subjected to divergent workflows. EIDR IDs can help keep these straight, and help assure that the right work gets done at the right time by the right party.
- Marketing. Different versions of a creative work may be marketed differently, or through different media or channels.
- Reporting. Because different versions, and even retail manifestations of a single work can have specific expenses, licensing, and audience characteristics associated with them, it can be helpful to use the EIDR ID as the "key" in cost accounting and audience measurement reporting. Because of the inherent inheritance relationships in EIDR records, EIDR IDs are ideal for recording this kind of information in a way that allows "roll-up" and "drill-down" analysis and reporting.
For all these reasons, it is EIDR's recommended Best Practice to obtain EIDR IDs as early as possible in the life cycle of a work--ideally when a project is green-lighted.