UK collecting society PPL has entered into a groundbreaking agreement with India’s performer society ISAMRA, marking a significant development in the landscape of collective licensing for the record industry. The deal leverages changes within the Indian collective licensing system, offering enhanced benefits to both Indian and British performers.
The collaboration holds profound implications for Indian artists whose music finds an audience in the UK and British performers whose recordings are utilized in India. Unlike the past, where monetary flow between the UK and Indian collective licensing systems predominantly favored labels, this agreement prioritizes the rights and earnings of performers.
Laurence Oxenbury, Director of International at PPL, emphasizes the importance of this partnership, stating, “This partnership with ISAMRA is an important moment for the rights of performers in India. The UK is a significant consumer of Indian repertoire, and money has already been paid from PPL in the UK to ISAMRA, benefiting hundreds of performers who did not historically have an entitlement to revenue.”
India stands as a colossal growth market for the record industry, evident in the Luminate ‘Year-End Music Report,’ which highlights an impressive 80% surge in streaming consumption. The collective licensing system is becoming increasingly effective in managing neighboring rights revenues, encompassing broadcast and public performance revenues. These revenues, shared between labels and performers, have gained clarity through the collaboration between ISAMRA, India’s record label trade group IMI, and the country’s record label collecting society, PPL India.
The alliance ensures that up to 25% of the funds collected by PPL India
from the performance of recordings will be directed to ISAMRA for distribution to performers. The deal extends benefits to British performers, enabling them to receive royalties when their music is played in India. Similarly, Indian performers will now receive royalties for the use of their music in the UK.
PPL affirms the practical impact of the deal, stating that the “new partnership with ISAMRA means that PPL mandated performers will now start to receive royalties distributed by the Indian [society] for the use of their recordings in the country.” The collaboration has already seen positive outcomes, with PPL allocating revenue to over 450 performers in 2023, and this number is expected to witness substantial growth in the coming year.
