Warner Chappell Music has launched a new digital licensing initiative called PEDL - that's Pan-European Digital Licensing - the result of which will be that download firms operating across the continent will be able to sort out the publishing licence on Warner Chappell's catalogue through one collecting society (of their choice, I think) rather than having to liaise with some 25 different collecting societies. The move falls in line with recommendations made by the EC which has been calling on rights owners to make it easier to licence music for digital platforms on a pan-European basis.
Explaining how the new initiative will work (kind of), Warner/Chappell top bloke Richard Blackstone told CMU: "Warner/Chappell is focused on entering into expanded relationships with those collection societies who will work closely with us to administer our online and mobile rights in a manner which is consistent with agreed guidelines and which allows us to conduct business in the new competitive digital landscape. Today, we have invited all of Europe's collection societies to apply to administer our digital rights in Anglo-American repertoire on a pan-European basis. We are confident this initiative will lead to a new and evolved relationship with collection societies-one in which our songwriters, and partners, along with digital music services, can flourish and that ultimately provides consumers with access to a wider array of digital content. Going forward, I am hopeful that this is the first of a number of initiatives that help move music publishers to the forefront of new business models in these exciting times."