18 MusicWeek 02.08.13 PUBLISHING SPECIAL NEWS GOVERNMENT PAYS UP SEVEN-FIGURE LICENSING FEE FOR SHEET MUSIC IN UK SCHOOLS
£7m for MPA’s sheet music scheme T
PUBLISHING
he Department of Education has pledged to pay a seven-figure fee to a
new scheme from the MPA that will see schools automatically licensed to make copies of sheet music for use in the classroom. PMLL (Printed Music Licensing Limited), a subsidiary of the MPA, was launched in April, with the goal of ‘identifying, licensing and administering a brand new source of income for authors and publishers, monetising existing activity with minimal disruption to the licensees themselves’. It was brought to market after
three years of negotiations, following a deal struck with the Copyright Licensing Agency, who will act as PMLL’s sole agent and distributor. MPA chairman Chris Butler told Music Week that the agreement with the CLA “was both commercially and politically expedient” for the trade body’s members. He added: “Importantly the
Department of Education has agreed to pay for the licence on behalf of state maintained schools in England for the next three years which will bring in over £7 million of new income into our industry over that period.” You can read a full open
letter from Chris Butler submitted to Music Week’s Publishing Special here:
“Optimism is a strategy for making a better future” wrote Noam Chomsky, “because unless you believe that the future can be better, you are unlikely to step up and take responsibility for making it so”. Both parts of this statement are apposite to music publishers at the present time. We must be optimistic in our outlook, and I believe we have good reason to be so, but our enthusiasm must be accompanied by action. We must step up and shape our own future. Although on many levels the UK market for music publishers remains challenging, there are some encouraging signs of stability. Both PPL and PRS reported increased collections in 2012 and BPI has reported positive album sales growth in the first quarter of 2013 for the first time since 2009. Digital music sales continue to
grow. A number of important licensing deals have been struck with major music and digital media services and other existing deals have been renegotiated to secure the best possible value for composers, songwriters and the publishers who support them. The Music Publishers Association, of which I am Chairman, could be taken as a microcosm of the sector as a whole, being as it is in a period of great change and even greater opportunity. At the Association’s AGM in June I talked of the MPA as a business
There are significant possibilities to be explored for the licensing of mechanical rights in the current landscape, and we need to think hard about developing new revenue streams which will grow this business and ensure its sustainable future. PMLL, a subsidiary of MPA,
“With regards to MCPS, an extraordinary amount of work has been completed over the past 12 months to reduce costs and streamline operations. This will deliver a business which is lean and focused” CHRIS BUTLER, THE MPA
now with three distinct operating areas: as a trade association, as the owner of MCPS, and as the owner of our recently launched Printed Music Licensing Limited (PMLL). With regard to MCPS, an
extraordinary amount of work has been done over the past 12 months to reduce costs and streamline operations. This project is ongoing and will
deliver a business which is lean, focused and which reflects the ways in which licensing has evolved. As the ways in which both businesses and individual consumers use music continue to develop at a staggering pace MCPS, and indeed all collection societies, must become more nimble, more flexible and quicker to react to the market for our product.
was created with precisely this goal in mind – to identify, license and administer a brand new source of income for authors and publishers, monetising existing activity with minimal disruption to the licensees themselves – in this case schools. The scheme allows UK schools to make copies of printed music for use in the classroom. After three years of preparation and negotiation, PMLL was launched in April 2013. Key to the success of this scheme is the deal struck with the Copyright Licensing Agency who will act as our sole agent and distributor – this was both commercially and politically expedient. Importantly the Department
of Education has agreed to pay for the licence on behalf of state maintained schools in England for the next three years which will bring in over £7m of new income into our industry over that period. So then let’s look forward,
let’s actively seek to license, and let’s seek out new opportunities wherever they may arise. This after all is in our nature as music publishers.
Notting Hill signs double admin deal
Notting Hill Music has signed two new administration deals with fellow UK publishers, increasing its roster of partners. One deal has been reached with Red Fish Music, the publishing division of Snapper Music PLC. Snapper MD Fred Jude said:
“Our long standing relationship with Notting Hill made it our number one choice to administer and exploit opportunities afforded to us in connection with signing bands to our labels.
“Notting Hill’s persistence in
furthering the careers of song writers through working with other record labels, artists, synchs and writer forums offers a multiplatform solution to artists and managers.” In addition, a deal has been
reached with a new company, Cambridge Songs, which has been setup by publishing veteran Stewart Feeney and music PR stalwart Pete Bassett of Quite
Great Publicity. Indie Q&A: Pages 30 and 31
PICTURED LEFT TO RIGHT: Johnny Wilks (A&R Director Red Fish) - Leopold Whiteley (Head of Creative NHM) - Andy McQueen (Chairman NHM) - Fred Jude (MD Red Fish) - Dave Loader (MD NHM) - Tony Harris (Commercial Director/Fixer Red Fish)]
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