PRS for Music and SoundCloud reach multi-territory licensing agreement
PRS for Music and SoundCloud reach a multi-territory licensing agreement ending legal proceedings
PRS for Music and SoundCloud announce that they have reached an agreement for a multi-territory licence to cover the service.
The licence covers the use of PRS for Music repertoire since SoundCloud’s launch and further supports SoundCloud in its plans to introduce subscription and advertising across Europe in 2016, meaning that creators can start to make money from their tracks.
Both PRS for Music and SoundCloud have been clear in their preference for a negotiated agreement over extended litigation, and their shared interest in supporting creators.
The agreement will allow PRS for Music’s members to receive royalties when their works are used by SoundCloud and accelerate SoundCloud’s development for the benefit of all creators who use the service, by:
- Ensuring fair value for the use of PRS for Music repertoire on SoundCloud.
- Paving the way for new SoundCloud services and functionality across Europe in 2016.
- Bringing both organisations together to work on ways to further increase the value of SoundCloud to creators, and improving metadata and the identification of repertoire for royalty distribution.
- Bringing to an end the legal proceedings brought by PRS for Music in August.
On behalf of our members, I am pleased that we have been able to reach a settlement with SoundCloud without extended legal proceedings. This ends over five years of discussions on the licensing requirements for the platform, resulting in a licence under which our members are fairly rewarded for the use of their music. The safe harbours in current legislation still present ambiguity, and obstruct the efficient licensing of online services, but our agreement with SoundCloud is a step in the right direction towards a more level playing field for the online marketplace.
Many of our members love the SoundCloud service and I greatly appreciate their management’s willingness to work with us in the way they have
SoundCloud is a platform by creators, for creators; we’re working hard to create a platform where all creators can be paid for their work, and already have deals in place with thousands of copyright owners. PRS for Music is also fully committed to creators, and we’re pleased to have reached an agreement that will expand revenue opportunities, improve the accuracy of royalty distributions, and launch new services for our 175 million monthly active listeners on SoundCloud in 2016.
About SoundCloud
SoundCloud, launched in 2008 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, is the leading audio platform that gives users unprecedented access to the world’s largest community of music & audio creators. With its continued ambition to unmute the web, SoundCloud allows everyone to discover original music & audio, connect with each other and share the sounds they hear. In addition, sound creators can use the platform to instantly record, upload and share sounds across the internet, as well as receive detailed stats and feedback from the SoundCloud community. For more information, go to: SoundCloud.com
About PRS for Music
PRS for Music is a world-leading music collective management organisation representing the rights of more than 165,000 talented songwriters, composers and music publishers around the globe. Headquartered in the UK, it works diligently on behalf of its members to grow and protect the value of their rights. With a focus on innovation and integrity, PRS for Music is redefining the global standard for music royalties to ensure creators are paid whenever their musical compositions and songs are streamed, downloaded, broadcast, performed and played in public. In 2022, PRS for Music collected £964m and paid out £836.2m in royalties. prsformusic.com
