Sony/ATV and SOLAR extend pan-European digital licence administration agreement
Sony/ATV Music Publishing, PRS for Music, GEMA and SOLAR extend agreement for management of pan-European licences for Sony/ATV and EMI Music Publishing’s Anglo-American repertoire
Sony/ATV Music Publishing, PRS for Music, GEMA and SOLAR have extended their agreement for the management of pan-European licences for Sony/ATV and EMI Music Publishing’s Anglo-American repertoire.
In a multi-year deal SOLAR will continue to provide administration services in connection with licences that cover the exploitation of the combined Anglo-American catalogues of Sony/ATV and EMI Music Publishing for digital services across Europe and other territories.
SOLAR is a jointly-owned subsidiary of PRS for Music and GEMA and the administration of the licences will be carried out in partnership with ICE, the joint venture between PRS, GEMA and Swedish society STIM. ICE is a pioneer in multi-territory online licensing and administration of music copyright and has evolved into an integrated processing hub. It is also responsible for the documentation of works in the shared ICE database – the most authoritative in the world - which services not only multi-territory online licences but also copyright database solutions for several national collection societies.
The launch of SOLAR in 2014 followed the 2012 acquisition of EMI Music Publishing led by Sony Corporation of America. This transaction brought the Sony/ATV and EMI Music Publishing catalogues together and SOLAR represents a consolidation of the prior arrangements that were in place for the administration of licences for their respective Anglo-American catalogues for pan-European digital exploitation.
I am excited that we have extended our successful relationship with PRS for Music and GEMA and with their SOLAR joint venture. This will continue to make the licensing of our Anglo-American catalogue across Europe as efficient as possible while ensuring that our songwriters receive first-class administration services in the European digital market.
This extension reflects the success of our partnership with PRS for Music and GEMA over many years as well as our close working relationship with SOLAR and long-term support for ICE. Our work together and that long-term support have allowed the parties to steadily evolve and improve the administration services from which our songwriters now benefit.
We are pleased that we are extending our successful longstanding cooperation with Sony/ATV Music Publishing. We have been working together for ten years now. Long-term and stable partnerships such as this are rare and of great value in today’s complex and highly dynamic music market. Sony/ATV Music Publishing is an ambitious partner who has time and time again set standards for the music market with its innovative technical solutions. Together with our strong partner ICE, we are ideally positioned to meet the challenges of digital use and licensing of music for the next three years.
I’m delighted that Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the world’s largest and leading music publisher, continues to trust GEMA and PRS for Music. Sony/ATV Music Publishing has an outstanding repertoire, which is in good hands with SOLAR. Through SOLAR we have licensing agreements in place with all relevant providers of digital music and ensure that the publisher, as well as their composers, and lyricists are remunerated appropriately for the use of their works.
I’m very proud that our successful and long-term partnership with Sony/ATV Music Publishing is set to continue. Our collaboration with GEMA on the SOLAR initiative is a cutting-edge embodiment of a modern and innovative approach to the administration of digital pan-European licensing.
About Sony/ATV Publishing
Sony/ATV Music Publishing, established in 1995 as a joint venture between Sony and Michael Jackson, is the world’s leading music publisher. Sony/ATV Music Publishing owns or administers more than 3 million copyrights including those of EMI Music Publishing and iconic music catalogues such as Leiber & Stoller, Mijac Music, Motown and Famous Music. Sony/ATV also controls many of the best known songs ever written like “New York, New York”, “Hallelujah”, “All You Need Is Love”, “You’ve Got a Friend”, “Moon River”, “Jailhouse Rock”, “The Mission Impossible Theme”, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, “Over the Rainbow”, “Stand By Me”, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and “Singin’ in the Rain”. In addition, Sony/ATV represents the copyrights of such legendary artists as The Beatles, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Carole King, Kraftwerk, Joni Mitchell, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, Queen, The Rolling Stones, Richie Sambora, Sting, The Supremes, Wyclef Jean, Hank Williams and Stevie Wonder, among others. Its ever-growing list of chart-topping artists, writers and producers includes Cardi B, The Chainsmokers, Drake, Calvin Harris, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, P!nk, Shakira, Ed Sheeran, Sia, Sam Smith, Stargate, Taylor Swift, Walk The Moon, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams.
About Solar
SOLAR Music Rights Management Ltd is a joint venture between GEMA and PRS for Music and administers the Anglo-American catalogues of Sony/ATV and EMI Music Publishing for online and mobile use in the EU and other regions. SOLAR offers licensees a one-stop-shop for the Sony/ATV and EMI Music Publishing repertoire – which includes many music genres and works which can be associated with a range of internationally renowned composers and artists. GEMA has supported licensing and administration of the Sony/ATV and EMI Music Publishing catalogues since 2007, initially through PAECOL and CELAS, and since 2014 through SOLAR.
About GEMA
GEMA represents the copyright of more than 72,000 members (composers, lyricists and music publishers) in Germany, and more than two million copyright owners globally. It is one of the largest societies for authors and musical works in the world.
About ICE
ICE offers a flexible suite of services for Publishers, Collective Management Organisations (CMOs) and Rightsholders. Services include; copyright administration, multi-territorial online processing and licensing solutions. ICE was created by PRS, STIM and GEMA and represents over 290,000 rightsholders alone through this partnership. The ICE copyright database holds over 32 million musical works. ICE is based in the UK, Germany and Sweden.
About PRS for Music
Here for music since 1914, PRS for Music is a world-leading music collective management organisation representing the rights of more than 175,000 talented songwriters, composers and music publishers. Redefining the global standard for music royalties, PRS for Music ensures songwriters and composers are paid whenever their musical compositions and songs are streamed, downloaded, broadcast, performed and played in public.
For 110 years it has grown and protected the rights of the music creator community, paying out royalties with more accuracy, transparency and speed. In 2023, PRS for Music paid out £943.6m in royalties and collected a record £1.08 billion in revenues. prsformusic.com
