In the ever-evolving landscape of the music industry, one aspect has become increasingly complex: music rights management. As a label owner or music publisher, you’re likely all too familiar with the challenges of navigating this intricate web of data, legalities, and technology. Let’s explore why outsourcing your rights management might be the smartest move for your music company.
Understanding the Evolving Landscape of Music Rights
With the rise of streaming platforms, the explosion of user-generated content, and the globalization of music consumption, keeping track of where and how your music is being used has become more challenging than ever.
For many projects, a single song can have multiple rights holders, including songwriters, producers, and performers. Each of these rights can and should be licensed separately for different uses, such as streaming, radio play, or synchronization online, as well as in films and commercials. Multiply this complexity and opportunity by your entire catalog, and you’re looking at a daunting task. And that’s just exploiting the rights, tracking what happens where and how to get paid is another set of concerns.
Moreover, new technologies are continually emerging, creating new ways for music to be consumed and, consequently, new rights to be managed and exploited. From social media platforms to virtual reality experiences, each new medium presents both opportunities and challenges for rights holders.
The Challenge of Managing Rights Across Multiple Territories
Gone are the days when music was primarily consumed within the borders of a single country. Today, your music can be streamed in Tokyo, synced in a TV show in London, and used in a TikTok video in Brazil – all in the same day.
Each territory has its own copyright laws, collection societies, and licensing practices. Keeping up with these variations is a full-time job in itself. For instance, collecting performing rights from one of the US based PROs is one stream of income. In the European Union, while efforts are in place to harmonize copyright laws, the differences still exist between member states and collection practices.
Emerging markets like China and India have their own unique challenges when it comes to copyright enforcement and royalty collection. Navigating these international waters requires not just knowledge, but also relationships with local entities and an understanding of cultural nuances that can impact business dealings. Doing this at scale makes sense – for a one off project or label – it is difficult to do this effectively most of the time.
How Outsourcing Simplifies Rights Management
This is where outsourcing your rights management to specialized services can be a game-changer and what you get when you work with a firm like ours:
- Copyright Expertise: Rights management companies have teams of experts who stay up-to-date with the latest changes in copyright law across multiple territories. They understand the nuances of different types of rights and how to maximize their value.
- Matching Technology: These companies have built sophisticated rights management software and matching algorithms that can track usage across multiple platforms and territories. This technology can identify instances of your music being used that you might otherwise miss and enable teams to collect or address conflicts more quickly.
- Global Relationships: Established rights management services have built relationships with collection societies, streaming platforms, and other key players in the global music ecosystem. These relationships can help ensure your rights are properly registered and your royalties are collected efficiently.
- Scalability for Songs: As your catalog grows, an outsourced solution can easily scale to manage the increased volume without you needing to hire and train additional staff.
- Time for Creative: By delegating the complex task of rights management, royalty tracking and collections, you free up your time and energy to focus on what you do best – discovering and nurturing creative talent.
Case Studies: Success Stories in Rights Outsourcing
Let’s look at a couple of real-world examples of how outsourcing rights management has benefited music businesses:
Gaither Music
Gaither Music was struggling to keep up with the administrative burden of managing rights for their growing roster of artists. After outsourcing to Music Services, they saw an increase in their royalty collections within the first year and was able to better determine what drivers were bringing in revenue so they could more effectively grow business within those channels. Additionally, the service identified several international uses of their music that the label had been unaware of, opening up new revenue streams.
Amy Grant
Amy Grant, a highly successful and established songwriter and performer, was finding it increasingly difficult to track the use of her extensive back catalog across multiple streaming platforms and international markets. By outsourcing rights management, her team not only saved countless hours of administrative work but also discovered that several of their songs had been used in TV shows in Europe without their knowledge. The outsourced service was able to retroactively collect these royalties, resulting in a significant windfall for the songwriter.
These cases illustrate how outsourcing can not only simplify rights management but also uncover hidden revenue opportunities.
In conclusion, as the music rights landscape continues to grow in complexity, outsourcing your rights management is no longer just a convenience – it’s a strategic necessity. By partnering with Music Services, you can ensure that your rights are properly managed across all territories and platforms, maximizing your revenue while freeing you up to focus on the creative side of your business.
The music industry is all about creating and sharing great art. Don’t let the complexities of rights management hold you back from achieving your full potential. Consider outsourcing your rights management and take your music business to the next level. We’d love to learn more about your record label, music publishing company or catalog to determine if we can work together.
