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www.musicweek.com BODYTALKBPI/MPA SYNC OUTSIDE THE BOX


The BPI/MPA/UKTI Sync Licensing Mission jetted off to Los Angeles last week – offering UK companies important access to knowledge, contacts and potential deals in a lucrative market


LICENSING


 BY JULIAN WALL, DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL EVENTS, BPI


G


ood news: the UK is continuing to make music that the world wants to hear – and nowhere more so than in the US, where UK


artists took over 12% of the market in 2011. Last week in Los Angeles, another group of


Brits in the form of the BPI/MPA/UKTI Sync Licensing Trade Mission 2012 continued this on- going assault on the US market. Over 40 delegates representing independent labels, distributors, publishers, managers, producers and even a small number of individual composers were on the trip. They learnt all about sync licensing in the


world’s largest market, with a three-day programme of panels, presentations and keynotes from the key music supervisors and sync agencies currently operating in LA. Held in the prestigious and intimate


surroundings of Studio A at the Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood – just the week before vacated by The Beach Boys finishing off their 50th anniversary album – the delegates were given a crash course into how this market operates. They walked away with what one delegate called “a diploma in sync”. Panel topics covered everything from the composition of the score to how to pitch to music sync agents - right through to the signing off on the business affairs paperwork to complete the deal. The aptly named ‘Hit The Ground Running’


music placement company - headed by resident Brit Jason Alexander - started the proceedings with the simple observation that the “best way to get your music noticed is to be over here and meet people” . This was certainly something that the mission


programme majored in over the duration, as close to 60 US executives came and gave their advice and opinions to the delegates, who in turn took advantage of the opportunity to service their music directly to the speakers. The programme was broken up by site visits to


NBC Universal Television offices and Disney/ABC Television studios, where delegates could see the whole sync licensing process in situ. The mission was rounded off by an evening reception at the British Consul General’s official residence, where delegates could socialise with the music supervisor community and a range of guests from the wider entertainment community in Los Angeles. The true commercial value of these exercises generally takes some time to percolate through, but


arts of pitching through hearing from the inside”. Returning delegate Paul Tunkin from Blow Up Records reckoned that “the level of contacts gained from the event is exceptional” and that attending the event two years running, “consolidated and reinforced the contacts made”. Recent BPI research data put the value of the


music synchronisation as being currently worth about £22 million to the UK industry. The sync market is frequently one in which the independent sector - being in a position to move rapidly and offer more cost-effective solutions - is at a distinct advantage. In many instances indies own the two rights


needed for sync licensing and the partnership between the BPI & Music Publishers Association (MPA) in this respect, provides the bedrock of the mission, now in its eighth year. UK Trade & Investment’s office facilitates the whole event with their on the ground team in LA. It is through co-operative exercises such as these


there can be no doubting the sense of opportunity that was felt by the UK crowd. First time delegate Tim Lee of Tummy Touch


Music said: “Despite having been in this industry for over 20 years, I learned something new from every panel that I have no doubt we will be profiting from for years to come.” Bucks Music’s Jonathan Tester also made the point that “although it might take some time to measure the full benefit, as a platform for learning the mission programme shone”. For Alex Kassner of Kassner Music, the mission was “a fantastic opportunity to learn about the dark


ABOVE ‘Best Mission yet’ | The MPA and BPI took members to meet sync agencies at the Capitol Records Tower - whilst Julian and his delegates networked with potential clients (and Lemmy) at the British Consul General’s US residence


that we, alongside the MPA and UKTI, can really help our respective memberships in cutting through and going direct to where the business really is. This is further emphasised by Stephen Navin of


the MPA who observed: “The synchronisation market remains extremely competitive and is ever- more important to publishers’ bottom lines. The value of being introduced to a number of key players in the world’s most important market cannot really be overstated and the feedback from the 2012 Mission suggests that this may well have been the best one yet.”


04.05.12 MusicWeek 47


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