Your call: Ms Banks and Sentric are making connections
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
CEO Dominique Rottet on smart solutions for the digital age…
Reprtoir founder and
“Publishing rights are an invaluable asset that will outlive us all”
Ben Marlow CC YOUNG & CO
lockdown,” notes Manners McDade’s Moss. “There was regular training and coaching webinars, bringing together composers from all around the world to support and empower each other through that difficult time.”
What comes next has also been brought into focus by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s streaming investigation.
“Anyone within the sector will tell you that songwriters are underpaid from the rates and income they receive from their streaming figures and we always have, and always will, lobby on behalf of our clients to receive a bigger piece of the pie,” declares Meehan of Sentric’s efforts. “It’s no secret that there is an imbalance between the master rights owners’ share and the publishing share and, as a collective, the sector must continue to voice the need for a positive change.” However, while parliamentary scrutiny has brought the issue into focus, the CEO believes the indie sector are being proactive.
“There are too many publishers in my opinion not maximising the revenue that is out there. The deals are better than they were five years ago and it really is a global view on collection that too many companies struggle with,” Meehan says. “We’re happy to report that our digital income is maximised through our collection network and we are seeing 100%, year-on-year increases in digital revenue collected from the streaming services. It may not be as much as it should be, but it’s becoming a large part of our catalogues’ turnover.”
As noted, the absence of live activity is being sorely felt across the music industry and markets around the globe will re-open at different speeds, all of which unfortunately means there is still some uncertainly ahead. “We’re certainly missing live shows, and our grand rights royalties and sync fees were affected by the
76 | Music Week
changes last year,” explains Moss. “The ripple effects on publishing income still remain to be seen, but I am looking forward to some interesting cross-genre collaborations across the sector this year.” Sentric’s Meehan agrees that indie publishers’ inbuilt adaptability will be key in coping with the unpredictability of the next few months. “I imagine for publishers across the board 2021 is all about navigating the landscape in each territory, supporting our partners and seeking opportunities for their catalogues in different areas. That is where we are focusing our efforts,” he explains.
“On the upside, we are truly seeing the way in which people consume music alter the revenue of a song. For certain copyrights, spikes in streaming income are offsetting losses from lack of public performance. Everyone in the sector has probably received five years’ worth of catalogue in the last 10 months so we’ve got a lot of songs to service!”
“It has been a fantastic time for indie publishers to sign talent”
Michael Harwood
TILEYARD MUSIC
Indeed, while the pandemic is not yet behind us, there is an optimism around the independent sector. Yes, times have been tough, but there might be some silver linings. “Coronavirus will continue to impact the way creators write and release music and we could see some real career-defining work as songwriters are pushing their limits creatively,” says Reservoir’s Lafargue. Tileyard’s Arme also predicts a creative burst, as songwriters will, fingers crossed, finally be allowed back into a room together. “The second half of this year we all hope is going to be buoyant for songwriters in terms of writing sessions, maybe even writing camps, we hope,” he suggests... cautiously. “I think there will be some really special songs to come out when writers are back in the room with each other. Plus, we can see a flood of new writers and a new wave of exciting artists on the horizon.”
Now, that is the news we’ve all been waiting for.
“It is no secret that the digital transformation has accelerated in the music industry. Considering the fact that digital streams of revenue are now the main ones for artists and their teams, publishers are dealing with various
contracts with a more and more complex, increased workflow. So maybe it is time to update your internal tools according to the work environment. “Tools designed for music publishers are rising, to help them optimise administrative tasks and operations. Delegating tasks that are not part of your activity is an important step towards more productivity and safe work methods. “This is exactly why we built Reprtoir. We built a SaaS (Software as a Service) solution, designed to meet the needs of music professionals and help music publishers manage all their operations. Reprtoir is a fully secured, shareable and collaborative workspace, for music publishers and their teams. “We created Audio Manager, a CMS specifically designed for audio files and their metadata – including solutions to collect all metadata online to keep an updated database. But mostly, music publishers can benefit from Works Manager, a CMS for publishers to manage works and metadata, rights-holders, contributors, publishing splits and royalties. “Reprtoir’s workspace is built as a software suite, allowing users to benefit from different products to fit their exact needs. Digitise your contracts with Rights Manager and link them to your managed musical works in Works Manager. This way, you’ll be able to mix the same updated dataset from any angle, in one centralised CMS. “Because we know how intense sales pitches and licensing deals can be, we also developed a tool for music professionals to create their own private playlists directly from their Reprtoir account. “Finally, we launched our own accounting software, in close collaboration with its users: Royalties Manager. With this new product, all expenses, fees and operations are linked to your contracts, works, collective management, rights-holders and performance rights organisations. Reprtoir is already compatible with over 60 integrations, including MCPS, PRS For Music, BMI, SACEM, Sony Music Publishing, Kobalt, and more. “The music industry is expecting more from music publishers, so adapting work methods to the global context is essential to staying competitive. Reprtoir wants to be a reliable partner for music publishers to stay ahead of the curve.”
musicweek.com
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