26 January 2008
Omnifone signs Pan-European deal for EMI repertoire
Omnifone has signed a pan-European licensing deal with EMI, PRS and GEMA providing its award-winning unlimited music downloads service, MusicStation, with access to millions of EMI music tracks, it was announced today.
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.
MusicStation is the all-you-can-eat (AYCE) mobile music service allowing mobile phone users to gain unlimited access to full music tracks on industry-standard mobiles for a small weekly fee or bundled into price plans for no extra cost.
The deal provides Omnifone with access to the EMI Music Publishing English language repertoire. The deal covers the services currently live in Sweden and the UK and will support the further roll-out of the MusicStation service throughout Europe.
Managing Directors of CELAS, John Rathbone and Alexander Wolf said: ‘We are excited to have facilitated this deal and that legitimate pan-European licensing solutions for online and mobile usage are now a reality.
‘We aim to make it easier for DSPs such as Omnifone to get the rights it needs for Europe from a single source instead of trawling around Europe picking-up rights from each local society.’
Omnifone, CEO Rob Lewis said: ‘Omnifone is pleased to be working with EMI, PRS and GEMA to launch this service across Europe. This single agreement gives us access to EMI repertoire for use across the whole of Europe.’
CELAS is the first organisation in Europe to offer licences for cross border music services for online and mobile applications in one place.
More CELAS deals are expected to be announced in the coming months.
- Ends -
PRESS CONTACTS:
The MCPS-PRS Alliance
Adrian Crookes
0044791 819 4151 adrian.crookes@mcps-prs-alliance.co.uk
GEMA
Bettina Mueller
+49/89 48 003-426 bmueller@gema.de
Angelika Schindel
+49/17 15 220-227 aschindel@gema.de
Omnifone
Tim Hadley
0044797 641 0001 thadley@omnifone.com
NOTES FOR EDITORS:
CELAS - The company set up to represent exclusively EMI Music Publishing’s repertoire for online and mobile exploitation in Europe. It is jointly owned by two of Europe’s leading music collective rights managers, the MCPS-PRS Alliance and GEMA. CELAS operates on the principles set out by the European Commission in its Recommendation on the future of online licensing in Europe.
www.celas.eu
The MCPS-PRS Alliance - MCPS and PRS are the not-for-profit UK collecting societies that ensure composers, songwriters and publishers are paid royalties when their music is used: from live performance to TV and radio, CDs to DVDs, downloads, streams and everything in between. Royalties create a future for music by supporting creators while they continue to write. MCPS and PRS are committed to delivering maximum royalties and world-class service. They work together in an operational alliance to get the best value for the music use of composers and songwriters everywhere. www.mcps-prs-alliance.co.uk
GEMA - In Germany, GEMA is a non-profit organization that represents the copyrights of more than 60,000 members (composers, lyricists and music publishers) as well as of over 1 million rights owners from all corners of the world.It is one of the largest authors’ societies in the world for works of music.
www.gema.de
Omnifone - Omnifone is Europe's leading direct to mobile unlimited music download service provider. Partners include the likes of Vodafone, Telenor, 3 Hong Kong and Vodacom, all of whom have rolled out Omnifone's MusicStation service. Over 25 other operators have engaged as partners. In 2007 Omnifone won the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) Music Service Award, Red Herring EMEA & Global 100 Awards, and in 2008, the Juniper Research Future Mobile Award’s Gold Award for Mobile Music. The company is based at Island Studios, London with regional HQs in Asia Pacific. For further information please visit www.omnifone.com