Music publisher Sony/ATV has announced a partnership with German performing rights society GEMA which will result in one of those one-stop pan-European licensing services for digital rights for music in the major's catalogue.
As previously reported, various publishers have been working with various collecting societies across Europe to deliver cross-Europe licencing, responding to the demands of both the digital music providers, who can't be bothered doing separate publishing royalty deals for ever territory they operate in, and also from European Union competition officials who want national collecting societies to operate in each other's territories in order to stop any one society having a monopoly over royalties in their home country.
Announcing that the pan-European licensing framework would launch next month through the GEMA partnership, Sony/ATV chief Marty Bandier said in a statement: "Our goal is to help speed the development of new online and mobile services across Europe - ensuring that the needs of consumers, regardless of where they may live, will have greater access to our music, sooner. And as these services become durable, legitimate businesses, they will benefit our writers and composers, as well".
GEMA boss Harald Heker added: "The cooperation with Sony/ATV Music Publishing is a great enhancement for GEMA, as it enables us to continue to license the Anglo-American repertoire further".
EMI Music Publishing announced a similar pan-European digital licensing system with GEMA and UK collecting society MCPS-PRS earlier this year.