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23.11.12 Music Week 3
ASHCROFT SAYS UK COLLECTING SOCIETY HAS OTHER ‘BETTER’ OPTIONS THAN PAN-EU HUB
PRS snubs Armonia despite Google deal U
LICENSING BY TIM INGHAM
K collecting society PRS for Music will not join EU licensing group
Armonia, even though the ‘hub’ has just signed a deal with Google for the rights to 5.5 million songs. The likes of SACEM
(France), SGAE (Spain; also representing Sony Latin, Peer Latin and SPA) and SIAE (Italy) plus Universal Music Publishing International have come together under the Armonia banner to facilitate pan- European licensing. This week, the group announced that an agreement had been reached with the Google Play service to license their repertoire to customers across all of Europe and for certain repertoires, Eurasian nations, the Middle-East and Arabian peninsula, Africa and the Indian Sub-Continent. Armonia says it offers a
single point of entry for the use of repertoires in line with the objectives of transparency and efficiency of the recent draft Directive of the European Commission. The hub gathers the works,
the rights of which are managed by SACEM, SGAE, SIAE and UMPI. Users are thus offered the facility to obtain more easily multi-territory licences to use
Playing away: Armonia will license its members’ repertoire to Google Play across Europe and beyond
Publishing, said of the Google deal: “UMPG is proud to be part of the first joint publisher and multi-society licensing hub in Europe. “While others seek to license
single company or single society repertoires on a multi-territory basis in the digital space, Armonia is the only significant, operational multi-repertoire digital licensing hub in Europe and is a natural extension to SACEM and Universal’s dual repertoire licensing hub deal. “I am delighted that we have
been able to conclude this ground-breaking deal with Google Music. SACEM, SGAE and SIAE are to be congratulated on their forward-thinking approach and other societies and publishers should consider bringing their repertoires into the Armonia hub. “This is the future and
their repertoire. The group says this “one-stop shop addresses online exploitation and/or mobile uses over a territory of 31 countries”. However, whilst PRS
applauded the agreement, the firm told Music Week that it has its eye on other solutions and potential rival rights ‘hubs’ that may emerge in future. Robert Ashcroft, chief
executive of PRS for Music, said: “We have no plans to join the
Armonia licensing venture, but welcome the news that pan- European licensing is becoming easier for users. “PRS for Music is, however,
working with other partners across the EU to develop licensing and processing hubs that will deliver a better service to our members and improve access to repertoire for licensees in line with the provisions of the new draft directive on Collective Rights Management."
Official Charts campaign continues with No.2s
Having celebrated 60 years of the Official Singles Chart this month,
the Official Charts Company is gearing up for an end-of-year nationwide campaign with BBC Radio 2. The station’s listeners can now
vote for their all-time favourite No. 2 single via the Radio 2 website -
bbc.co.uk/radio2. The results of
the poll will form the basis of a special New Year’s
Day Radio 2 show, presented by Tony Blackburn (inset), who will count down an Official Top 40 of the nation’s favourite singles which never quite made it to the top of the Official Singles Chart. As a climax to the programme, the nation’s favourite No.2 single will be bestowed with an honorary No.1 by the Official Charts Company. A panel consisting of industry figures including Radio 2 presenters Ken Bruce; Tony Blackburn and
Janice Long; Official Charts Company managing director Martin Talbot and charts director Omar Maskatiya; Radio 1 presenter Annie Nightingale; BBC Radio 6 Music presenter Steve Lamacq; Radio 1 and 1Xtra head of music George Ergatoudis and a number of other key industry figures whittled a list of 941 No.2 tracks down to 107 tracks. The news comes after a
successful celebration of the Official Singles Chart’s 60th birthday on November 14, which culminated in a survey revealing
“We have no plans to join the Armonia licensing venture, but welcome the news that pan-European licensing is becoming easier for users” ROBERT ASHCROFT, PRS FOR MUSIC
Andrew Jenkins, EVP, Asia
Pacific Region and Industry Affairs at Universal Music
Universal Music Publishing, SACEM, SGAE and SIAE are leading the way.” PRS this week welcomed
steps taken to begin the implementation of Dr Richard Hooper’s recommendations surrounding a new copyright hub. Dr Ros Lynch has been
seconded to lead an industry- funded office to spearhead progress of Hooper’s report, including the launch of a Digital Copyright Exchange.
that UK music fans had bought 3.7 billion singles since the first chart was published in 1952. The company held a Parliamentary reception in London last week to celebrate the anniversary. “We have been delighted
“I had one email this week remarking that the chart means more to the people in the UK than any other country around the world – which just about says it all” MARTIN TALBOT, OFFICIAL CHARTS COMPANY
with the reaction of both media and public to the anniversary, which has demonstrated again just how much the Official Singles Chart means to so many people,” said Talbot. “I had one email this week
remarking that the chart means more to the people in the UK than any other country around the world – which just about says it all.”
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