Songwriters and publishers are seeing big rewards from international syncs, like the recent Apple Music ad featuring Drake & Future’s “Jumpman.” The ad has been viewed more than 20 million times since debuting in April on Taylor Swift’s Instagram account.
It has been a win for Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing group, who represent Drake and Future, respectively. ASCAP and BMI reported revenue to US writers and publishers from sources outside the US of more than $590 million in 2015, proving how lucrative the use of copyrights in international markets is to music publishers.
• SACEM and Universal Music Publishing International have reached an agreement to bring SACEM’s repertoire and UMPI’s Anglo-American repertoire to SoundCloud and SoundCloud Go. The new deal, which covers 33 territories, was jointly signed by SACEM and UMPI under their Direct European Administration and Licensing initiative, and ensures that authors, composers and publishers receive fair remuneration for the use of their works on SoundCloud’s platform. Alex Ljung, founder and CEO, SoundCloud said the agreement “allows [SoundCloud] to continue to create a place where all creativity can live, while simultaneously ensuring rightsholders’ work is rewarded and respected.”
• French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, received a delegation from CISAC in honor of the organization’s 90th anniversary. The delegation was led by Jean-Michel Jarre, CISAC President and composer and electronic music pioneer, and included over 100 invitees and renowned creators from all over the world. Prime Minister Manuel Valls stated, “The fight for authors’ rights is vital to protect creation. The [French] government acts on numerous levels: the battle against piracy, fair remuneration of authors and artists for the digital use of their works, and supporting the means of financing creation. France, an early pioneer for authors’ rights, will stay at the forefront of its modernisation.”