Authors’ societies and industry – working together to get musicians a fair deal

Partnerships with industry are an important part of authors’ societies’ work, a crucial means of ensuring their members are paid for the enjoyment they bring worldwide. Many of the partnerships struck by authors’ societies are with household names like YouTube, Sony and RARA.com. Here’s a bit more about these agreements and how they work.

The video-sharing platform You Tube has taken the world by storm, and it’s easy to see why. It gives music lovers the chance to watch clips of their favourite artists – and discover new ones – at the click of a mouse.

And that’s fantastic progress for cultural diversity – provided authors benefit from it too.

A priority for authors’ societies across Europe has been to ensure that the artists who make You Tube the fantastic service it is draw as much benefit from it as their fans. So far, authors’ societies in several European countries have struck deals with the Google-owned venture.

The agreements mean that You Tube shares the profits it makes from online advertising with authors’ society members. It’s a win-win: authors enjoy an ever-wider reach of audience – and get paid for their creative endeavours. And fans enjoy access to an increasingly limitless range of music.

Christophe Depreter, speaking on behalf of SABAM – the Belgian authors’ society representing 36,000 composers, lyricists, publishers, and music video makers – called their agreement with YouTube “A very positive step forward – both for our members and, on a broader scale, the Internet.”

You Tube described the agreement as one element in their constant efforts to promote Belgian content and pay local artists for the online publication of their work.

Among ZAiKS members in Poland, where YouTube enjoys some 11 million users, feelings were buoyant following the deal their authors’ society struck with YouTube last year “It’s only right, we’re entitled to this money”.

Finally, Rara.com – a paid-for streaming service – has now entered into partnership with both PRS for Music and Teosto, the UK and Finnish authors’ societies committed to protecting and enforcing members’ rights where they are.

These are just a small selection of the many agreements in place and underway across Europe to ensure artists’ creativity is rewarded. Keep reading here for more updates!