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Digital
Omnifone announces GEMA deal
By CMU Editorial | Published on Monday 24 January 2011
Talking of which, London-based digital music provider Omnifone, which powers the Sony service, used MIDEM to announce a new deal with German collecting society GEMA this weekend which will not only enable Music Unlimited to launch in Germany, but will ensure it can do so at the same price point planned for the rest of the European market.
GEMA is known to be among the most demanding of all collecting societies, and is yet to license Spotify in Germany, arguing that the Swedish streaming service’s business plan is untenable.
Confirming the new deal with GEMA, Omnifone CEO Jeff Hughes told CMU: “This landmark deal negotiated with GEMA for Sony by Omnifone brings the cost of subscription based music licensing in Germany into line with the rest of Europe for the first time. Omnifone’s experienced commercial team enables partners to roll out cloud based music services globally, opening up new markets through innovative licensing agreements around the world”.
GEMA chairman Harald Heker added: “We are very pleased about the successful agreement with Omnifone. The signing of the contract illustrates that it is possible after all to license innovative business models in the field of online”.
Elsewhere in Omnifone news, the digital firm announced it has hired Jez Bell, formerly with UK collecting society PRS For Music, to the role of Director Of Licensing.
