January 21, 2007
Independent Record Labels Agree To Pool Their Music for Online amnd mobile Sale
Independent record labels behind artists like The White Stripes, Deep Purple and Arctic Monkeys announced a global deal Saturday to pool access to their catalogs, seeking to grab a bigger share of digital music sales from the major record companies. The WSJ reports.
"Indies and their trade groups from more than a dozen countries signed on to Merlin, a nonprofit licensing agency that will cut deals on their behalf with download sites and mobile services, under the terms of the agreement unveiled at Midem, a music industry gathering in the French Riviera town of Cannes.
... Billed as a "one-stop licensing shop," Merlin will allow online stores and other digital platforms to access its members' music in one deal, rather than the thousands of separate contracts they would otherwise have to negotiate. Labels will also be able to continue selling independently through their existing distribution networks."
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