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Business News Deals Digital Labels & Publishers
Belgian society Sabam allies with ICE on digital licensing
By Chris Cooke | Published on Tuesday 9 March 2021
Belgian song rights collecting society Sabam has allied with copyright hub ICE on its digital licensing. It means the Sabam repertoire will now be part of the ICE Core licence.
In most countries, collecting societies lead on digital licensing on the songs side. However, there are a lot of societies worldwide, and digital platforms always like to reduce the number of deals they need to negotiate. To that end, many societies now collaborate on digital licensing. Across Europe there are several such collaborations via initiatives like Polaris, Armonia and ICE Core. Sabam was allied to Armonia before joining up with ICE.
Confirming the new deal, Sabam boss Carine Libert says: “We pursued an exceptionally thorough process to ensure we achieved the solution that gives our members the most royalties for the online use of their works. In joining the ICE Core, we’re certain we have that. Selecting ICE as our partner for multi-territorial digital licensing reflects our approach in being strategic about delivering the maximum value for our authors”.
At ICE itself, the hub’s VP Commercial Ben McEwen adds: “We warmly welcome Sabam to the ICE Core. With the extensive work and expertise required nowadays to maximise licensing coverage of services and territories, with the right deals and understanding different categories in detail, we are able to add real value to the rights-holder network of societies and publishers – and ultimately their members – whom we serve”.
With Anglo-American repertoire, music publishers as well as societies also get involved in digital licensing. Although – as McEwen referenced there – some publishers also ally with ICE, including their Anglo-American repertoires in the ICE Cube initiative.
That currently includes the likes of Concord, Downtown and Peermusic. While other societies allied to ICE Cube include GEMA, STIM, PRS, IMRO and BMI.
