A2IM Praises YouTube-Merlin Deal

A2IM OKs YouTube-Merlin

Following press reports that MERLIN, the global rights organization for the Independent sector, has reached an agreement to license to YOUTUBE's new subscription service, MUSIC KEY, A2IM (AMERICAN ASSOCITION OF INDEPENENT MUSIC) joins the WORLDWIDE INDEPENDENT NETWORK (WIN) in applauding the deal.

"We anticipate that this deal will not only preserve independent access to a primary marketing and promotional platform used by most music consumers, but also protect a valued source of revenue, foster healthy competition among all content owners, and maintain the value of independent music," said A2IM Pres. RICH BENGLOFF. "We believe actual music usage should be the only basis for calculating compensation on sound recordings. No matter what the size of the music label or what artists are involved, there should be a level playing field with content valued equally for all copyright owners. MERLIN was created to make it viable for digital services to have a one-stop solution to license a wide swath of Independent repertoire and has been successful in licensing many services. We see the YOUTUBE-MERLIN deal as the latest step forward toward ensuring that all content owners and music creators are treated equitably, regardless of who owns the master."

In SEPTEMBER, A2IM conducted an internal study with key stakeholders in the Independent label community and found that 94% felt YOUTUBE was significant to their overall business, while 100% felt that YOUTUBE was at a minimum "somewhat important" to their business in terms of marketing and promotion, and 89% estimated that YOUTUBE was at least 75% of their total online video audience.

Added BENGLOFF: "We expect the impact of the MERLIN-YOUTUBE agreement will be significant for Independent labels as YOUTUBE joins numerous other music services that have previously supported our community and recognized the leadership of Independent Music."

A2IM has called on all services to respect all content creators equally by offering equitable deals with the independent music label sector, the largest and fastest-growing sector in the music industry.

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