[Fmpro] British Independent Publishers Gain Greater European Foothold

[Dana from Serious Vanity Music]

>From digitalmusicnews.com:

British Independent Publishers Gain Greater European Foothold

Europe has a legacy of being a fragmented licensing landscape, a limitation 
that has caused numerous roadblocks and headaches for digital music 
services.  Increasingly, that maze of rights jurisdiction and territorial 
restrictions is starting to thaw, thanks to a push by the European 
Commission and publishing groups themselves.  Just recently at Midem, the 
UK-based Music Publishers Association (MPA) and MCPS-PRS jointly revealed a 
pan-European licensing framework.  The template is mostly geared towards 
independent music publishers, which account for roughly 30% of the British 
publishing market.  "The MPA is taking a proactive step to address the needs 
of independent publishers, providing us with a ready-made solution for 
licensing our online and mobile rights across Europe," commented Simon 
Platz, Managing Director of Bucks Music Group Ltd.

Publishers want to maximize their revenues, and the simplified arrangement 
will lower administrative costs and licensing time.  And hovering in the 
background is the European Commission, a group that has been pushing for a 
less Balkanized publishing landscape.  "The contract we have developed 
together supports our aim to improve services for members and music users 
and supports the European Commission's plans for simplified online licensing 
across Europe," said Steve Porter, managing director of the MCPS-PRS 
Alliance.  The tie-up was announced Monday, and follows an alliance last 
year between MCPS-PRS, German publishing association GEMA, and EMI Music 
Publishing.

Story by news analyst Alexandra Osorio.

Permalink: http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/012207mps

Dana Detrick-Clark
Serious Vanity Music
http://www.seriousvanity.com