1 February 2008
MCPS-PRS Alliance at MIDEM – The week that pan-European licensing became a reality
The MCPS-PRS Alliance is reporting a successful week at MIDEM in Cannes, during which it announced one of the first pan-European licensing deals for EMI Music Publishing repertoire (Omnifone) and two new publisher partnerships whereby the Alliance will represent their repertoire for online and mobile pan-European licensing (Warner/Chappell Music, peermusic). The Alliance also celebrated its 10th birthday with a reception in the Palais Stephanie.
Omnifone
PRS, GEMA and EMI signed a pan-European licensing deal with Omnifone. The deal provides Omnifone with access to the EMI Music Publishing English language repertoire.
This is one of the first pan-European deals brokered by CELAS, the organisation exclusively representing EMI Music’s repertoire for digital exploitation in Europe.
peermusic
The Alliance will exclusively represent peermusic’s Anglo-American catalogue for licensing for online and mobile across Europe. (SGAE of Spain, a strategic partner society with the Alliance, will represent peermusic’s Latin-American repertoire).
Warner/Chappell Music
The Alliance is one three societies chosen by Warner/Chappell Music to represent its Anglo-American repertoire for online and mobile licensing across Europe.
Putting the deals into context
Pan-European licensing for online and mobile, was signalled by the European Commission in its Recommendation of October 2005 (2005/737/EC), which urged the creation of an appropriate framework for the administration of online music rights on a pan-European basis.
The business decisions made by Warner/Chappell Music and peermusic, like those of EMI Music before them, demonstrate the creative community’s commitment to the concept of cross-border licensing for online and their willingness to work together with collecting societies to find effective solutions that benefit both the creators and users of music. The Alliance already, with Germany’s GEMA, represents EMI Music Publishing’s Anglo-American repertoire for online and mobile pan-European licensing.
Steve Porter, Chief Executive of the MCPS-PRS Alliance, said, ‘This Midem will be the one remembered for the true beginnings of pan-European repertoire based licensing. The European Commission has been waiting for rightsholders and societies to make the announcements that were made this week and I am excited that the Alliance is at the heart of the deals which have been announced.
‘Our next job, with our partner publishers and societies, is to create a simple and effective licensing structure for our customers, which ensures they get the repertoire they need for their services.
‘We now have a clear way forward that ensures that rightsholders and music users alike can benefit from all that online and mobile can bring in a pan-European context.’
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PRESS CONTACT:
Catherine George – 020 7306 4777, press@mcps-prs-alliance.co.uk
MCPS and PRS work together in an operational alliance, the MCPS-PRS Alliance. Together, they are one of the world’s most efficient combined rights collecting operations. MCPS-PRS has succeeded in its goal to offer its members more money, more often and at less cost, whilst ensuring its customers are provided with the most efficient means by which they can use music.