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Business News Labels & Publishers
Warner unites sync operations of publishing and catalogue units
By Chris Cooke | Published on Friday 22 March 2013
Warner Music’s strategy to integrate its sound recording and music publishing catalogues in the US has resulted in publishing unit Warner/Chappell and catalogue label division Rhino unifying their sync teams.
As previously reported, Warner rejigged its US operations last November so that Warner/Chappell and Rhino sit in one strand of the business, reporting into Warner/Chappell’s existing top man Cameron Strang. Under the latest development, Warner/Chappell’s synchronisation chief Ron Broitman will head up a new team that combines sync execs from both the publisher and Rhino, as well as looking for sync opportunities for the entire Warner Music business, including frontline record labels.
As record companies increasingly become licensing businesses rather than CD sellers, there is a logic for those music firms that own both label and publishing concerns to more closely align the operations of the two sides of the business, especially when it comes to catalogue, with the publishing sector having more experience in the licensing game.
Though, of course, because song-writing recording-artists traditionally signed record and publishing deals with different corporate entities, there will be a disconnect between any one music company’s recording and publishing catalogues, which poses challenges in the sync game, where the ideal scenario would be offering ad agencies and film, gaming and TV studios a ‘one-stop shop’ through which all the rights in a piece of content can be secured via one simple deal.
But Warner reckons there are nevertheless benefits to having a joined-up sync operation. Confirming the revamp, Strang told CMU: “Ron is a world class talent in his field, with years of success in working with clients across all forms of media to create credible, memorable synchronisations that excite global audiences. Combining the expertise and resources of these two excellent teams, under Ron’s experienced leadership, will help us set a new standard in licensing. The united operation will be faster-moving, better connected and more innovative, resulting in an enhanced service and enabling us to generate even more significant opportunities for artists and songwriters”.
