BMI Announces Additional Partners To Bilateral International Internet Licensing Agreements

Posted in News on March 13, 2001

Pact Represents 'Substantial Majority' Of World's Repertoire

BMI today announced that it has entered into bilateral international Internet rights agreements with 15 additional performing rights organizations. These agreements are in addition to the bilateral international Internet rights agreements initially signed by five leading music copyright organizations [BUMA (The Netherlands), GEMA (Germany), PRS (United Kingdom), SACEM (France) and BMI] in Santiago de Chile in the fall of 2000. The agreements with these 19 PRO’s represent the substantial majority of the world’s repertoire.

Through these agreements, BMI-licensed Internet sites will now have an expanded grant of rights giving them international coverage amongst the 19 countries through their BMI license agreement. BMI will start offering the international rights clearance in its music performance agreements retroactive to January 1, 2001.

BMI led a multi-year negotiation to arrive at these agreements with the goal to make it easier for web sites to obtain one performing right license to cover major international markets. BMI has entered into separate agreements with the following copyright societies: APRA (Australia), CASH (Hong Kong), COMPAS (Singapore), IMRO (Ireland), JASRAC (Japan), SGAE (Spain), SIAE (Italy), STIM (Sweden), SUISA (Switzerland), AEPI (Greece), SCD (Chile), KODA (Denmark), TEOSTO (Finland), KCI (Indonesia) and MACP (Malaysia) which will permit worldwide licensing of those repertoires, thus overcoming the issues associated with territorial-based licensing.

This marks the first time a U.S. performing rights organization has been able to offer performing rights for international territories in addition to U.S. rights.

“This agreement is the first step towards achieving global synergy in the area of digital licensing,” said BMI’s President & CEO, Frances W. Preston. “This is a bold, cooperative initiative addressing the needs for new licensing models for new media as well as helping to build a marketplace for our songwriters and composers in the digital world.”

BMI was one of the first established music companies to embrace the Internet to proactively develop new revenue streams for songwriters. BMI.com provides Internet companies an instant, simple licensing solution to legally stream any of their songwriters’ registered compositions. Some of BMI’s many web licensees include EMusic.com, MP3.com, LicenseMusic.com, Yahoo Broadcast, Intertainer.com, NetRadio.com, Akoo.com, GetMusic.com, Digital Club Network and DiscoverMusic.com.

SOURCENews TAGS International Licensing