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‘A visionary artist or a composer or a writer is able to show us a different way of looking at the world.’These are the words of Francis Gerry, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation, speaking on World Intellectual Property (IP) Day that took place last week.

World Intellectual Property Day launched in 2000. Its aim is to heighten understanding about the value of intellectual property rights – not just for those who enjoy them, but for society at large. Legal safeguards for the intangible assets of creators ensure their interests continue to be served in today’s consumer-focused and innovation-rich environment.  They ensure the moral and legal integrity of creators, and their right to be remunerated fairly for their efforts.

Authors’ societies will go to great lengths to protect and enforce the right of their members to fair payment.

Even a court of law.

We’ve written in detail about some of the great partnerships author societies have formed with industry players in their territories to ensure fair payment for their members. Teaming up with online services like YouTube or Rara.com really is the best-case scenario for everyone involved – music-lovers gain access to a wealth of music, creators are fairly remunerated – and industry can make some profit too.

Sadly, sometimes a share of the profit isn’t enough and industry is tempted to put their own gains ahead of the people they owe their business to – composers and text authors.

When that happens we’re not afraid to step in and take action, backing our members every step of the way.

Europe has always been a continent of music-lovers. But the way we as consumers choose to enjoy music is changing – and everywhere you look there are efforts to adapt to this. Here’s a look at two key trends.

Music gone digital

The Internet has of course been a game-changer for the music sector. It all started with downloading, but since then the services on offer have mushroomed: consumers can now choose between subscription services, advertising-supported services offering streaming for no charge, music video services like You Tube and services backed by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that weave music subscriptions into broadband packages (the ISP Telia, for example, includes a Spotify subscription as part of its mobile package).

Music can now also be accessed across a range of devices, too, so fans can listen to the music they chose wherever they are. And thanks to social media functions attached to existing services, a virtual community of fans has been created that can recommend what they enjoy…and speak out about what they don’t.

Today there are more than 300 legitimate online music services in Europe, giving access to some 13 million tracks. From a whopping 70 services in the UK to a modest two in Cyprus, Malta and Luxembourg – there’s always a way for fans to access the music they love in a legal and equitable way.

The partnerships forged between industry and authors’ societies in Europe mean that innovation, enterprise and the protection of creators’ rights – the basis of musicians’ livelihoods – are compatible. Read what we said last week about some of these partnerships and how they benefit creators.

Unfortunately, there’s a sting to the Internet’s otherwise rosy tail.

Europe’s legitimate music business is held back by pirate sites that tap into the all-too-human yet unfortunate desire to have things for free. Offering comparable services to legitimate services but at no cost, pirate sites undermine the incentive for consumers to pay for the music they enjoy. This not only stifles the development of honest business ventures, it also undercuts the musicians trying to earn a decent wage by doing what they love to do.

Authors’ societies work tirelessly to enforce the rights of their members across Europe. But that’s not enough: the legal environment that allows piracy to thrive needs urgent attention.