Business News Industry People Labels & Publishers

Kobalt appoints new MD for neighbouring rights business

By Chris Cooke | Published on Friday 24 May 2013

The neighbouring rights business of Kobalt has announced the appointment of a new MD in the form of Ann Tausis, who joins from Universal Music Publishing where she had various senior rights management roles.

She will be charged with the task of expanding the newish Kobalt business, which launched last year and is focused on helping artists and producers secure all and any royalty payments they are due from so called ‘neighbouring rights’, while also having an industry role in lobbying on neighbouring rights issues.

Confirming the appointment, Hans Van Berkel, Executive Chairman of Kobalt Neighbouring Rights, told CMU: “Ann brings fantastic experience from her time at Universal, and Polygram before that, to the role. Her stability and clarity of vision gained across the publishing sector will stand her in great stead in the rapidly developing sphere of neighbouring rights, where complex distribution policies and qualifying criteria vary widely from society to society in a patchwork of countries covered by relevant treaties”.

Tausis added: “I am delighted to be joining a thriving, industry-leading company that operates in an area of the recordings business that is developing fast, both at a commercial and at a policy level. Opportunities abound for an efficient global neighbouring rights agency, and it is testament to KNR that it has been able to attract the cream of the crop in terms of clients in such a short space of time”.

Tausis will replace Sabine Jones, who was MD for KNR during its launch period, and who is now planning to pursue a consultancy career.