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SACEM to represent Korean songs society’s digital rights across Europe
By Chris Cooke | Published on Thursday 25 June 2020
Korean song rights collecting society KOMCA has entered into deal with its French counterpart SACEM which will see the latter represent the former’s rights on a pan-European basis in the digital space. It is, the two societies would like you to know, “an important milestone for KOMCA and SACEM as they pursue their international development by establishing a strategic bridge between Europe and Asia”.
When it comes to things like radio, concerts and the public performance of music, collecting societies generally only issue licences in their home countries. All the societies around the world are then joined up through reciprocal agreements, so the French society can include Korean songs in their deals with French radio stations, and vice versa. Rights and royalties then flow around the world.
However, when it comes to streaming, song right societies – especially in Europe – have started issuing multi-territory licences, so that they have a direct relationship with streaming services in multiple countries, cutting the local societies out of the equation.
With Anglo-American repertoire, many publishers now do the streaming deals themselves also on a multi-territory basis, though usually in partnership with a society – or a society-owned hub like ICE – that is already issuing multi-territory licences.
SACEM is very active in that space, working with Universal Music Publishing, Warner Chappell, Wixen and indie publisher coalition IMPEL, while also repping the digital rights of Canadian society SOCAN in the European market. And now the Korean repertoire of KOMCA – including all that uber-popular K-pop stuff that you all like – will be part of that operation.
Announcing the deal, SACEM boss Jean-Noël Tronc says: “This new mandate marks an important step for SACEM, which is pursuing its international development by creating an unprecedented bridge to Asia. I am proud that our South Korean counterparts saw SACEM as the partner of choice to manage their online rights and thank KOMCA’s President, Mr Hong Jin Young, for his confidence”.
The there mentioned President of KOMCA, Hong Jin Young, adds: “I believe that SACEM is by far the most prominent organisation in the field of art and culture. [Our] partnership with SACEM will be of great help in increasing stable royalty collection for K-pop [across Europe]”.
