Providers of online music services in Europe should benefit from a new one-stop licensing system aimed at simplifying the complex process of obtaining music distribution rights across the continent.
The cross-border licensing scheme, announced Friday by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, will allow companies providing online music services to obtain a license for a wide range of music in all participating regions from a single collecting society.
Presently, online music providers, including mobile phone operators and Internet companies, must deal separately with collecting societies in each country or approach record companies directly -- an option they will still have under the new scheme.
The music licensing business in Europe has been "a mess" because of the complexity of dealing with numerous groups to acquire online music rights in each country, said Bruce Gibson, a senior analyst at Juniper Research.
"Anything that can transcend borders and make the licensing process easier and faster is going to be a stimulus to the market," Gibson said.
To be successful the new scheme will require support from collecting agencies. The IFPI said it expected more than 40 collecting societies to sign up.
The cross-border effort is in line with a recommendation from the European Commission that urges rights holders to streamline the licensing of online music rights, the IFPI said.
Get the independent advice and expertise you need to support a virtual workforce.
The increase in Linux popularity has increased the frequency and sophistication of malware attacks. Read this 2 page white paper now to learn how you can protect your Linux environment with real-time protection that is certified by all major Linux vendors.
Download now »
Ensuring acceptable application delivery will become even more difficult over the next few years. As a result, IT organizations need to ensure that the approach that they take to resolving the current application delivery challenges can scale to support the emerging challenges. This handbook elaborates on the key tasks associated with planning, optimization, management and control and provides decision criteria to help IT organizations choose appropriate solutions.
Download now »
A common misconception is that mid-range storage requirements are dramatically different than that of a larger enterprise. Mid-range storage users may require less capacity, but they have similar functionality and management requirements. This ESG paper examines mid-range storage needs and reviews a new solution that adjusts size while retaining value, performance and functionality.
Download now »
Sign up to receive Platforms Resource Alerts
Recommend This
