MUMBAI: Aiming to benefit songwriters and composers in the long run, France’s Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (SACEM), Universal Music Publishing and YouTube have signed an agreement which establishes terms of use for the music of SACEM’s repertoire and UMP’s Anglo-American repertoire.
The terms of use are applicable in videos distributed by YouTube throughout 127 countries across Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. The deal encompasses all types of YouTube videos that feature music, including user-generated content.
SACEM CEO Jean-Noël Tronc said, “SACEM is proud to be the first authors’ society in the world to have signed an agreement of this scale with YouTube, the world’s leading digital platform of music videos. This contract bears witness to our commitment to increasing both the visibility of works and the remuneration of our members, and of those of our partner UMP, with a major internet service, YouTube.”
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As per the agreement, it will facilitate greater transparency, coordination and data-sharing between the organizations while also ensuring equitable compensation for rights holders who are entitled to a share of the platform’s revenues.
Universal Music Publishing Group chairman and CEO Zach Horowitz said, “Universal Music Publishing is pleased to have concluded this agreement with YouTube through DEAL for the proper remuneration of the composers we are privileged to represent. The digital market can only flourish if creators receive fair remuneration delivered through efficient and innovative licensing solutions. We are proud to be at the forefront of that effort with our partners at SACEM.”
The agreement has been entered into by SACEM and UMP’s Direct European Administration and Licensing (DEAL) initiative, which works to create a unique and comprehensive platform of joint technical and operational resources for multi-territorial music licensing across all forms of media, which includes this deal with YouTube.
The music of UMP’s songwriters and composers, who are affiliated with other European collecting societies, will remain subject to licensing arrangements made by those societies.
As per reports, one country that won’t be affected by the agreement is Germany. The European nation’s largest music royalties collection agency GEMA, has been at odds with the video sharing site since April 2009, and recently broke off all negotiations over proper royalty rates and tenets concerning intellectual property and copyright law.
