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SoundExchange partners on new music licensing service for podcasters
By Chris Cooke | Published on Tuesday 13 August 2019
While the music industry has finally jumped on the podcast bandwagon in terms of promo, actually licensing music for podcast-delivered programmes remains challenging. To that end US collecting society SoundExchange has announced an alliance with LA-based SourceAudio to collaborate of a new service providing music for podcasts.
SourceAudio already provides licensing and production music services to the media sector and, through a new site called podcastmusic.com, plans to do the same for podcasters, in both the US and beyond. It hopes that, through the SoundExchange alliance, it can persuade labels and publishers to make commercially released music available via the new service.
Though SoundExchange won’t be forcing any of its members to participate, which means podcastmusic.com probably won’t be offering anything like the kind of blanket licences that radio programmes enjoy. And once you start licensing music on a patchwork basis it becomes messy. Meaning this will likely be a more useful service for those looking for music to feature in mainly spoken-word podcasts, rather than podcasters making music-based radio-style shows.
But still, SoundExchange boss Michael Huppe reckons the tie-up with SourceAudio should benefit both music companies and podcasters. He said yesterday: “The podcast industry is rapidly growing, and this collaboration will provide SoundExchange’s music creators – both labels and publishers – with an additional way to monetise their work by making their music available on podcastmusic.com if they choose. Our collaboration with SourceAudio will make the process of licensing music simpler through a one-stop licensing marketplace”.
Over at SourceAudio, the firm’s CEO Geoffrey Grotz added: “Currently there is no simple way for a podcaster to acquire rights for feature music in their podcasts. We are solving that by working with SoundExchange. By connecting with SoundExchange’s community of music creators – including labels, artists, publishers and songwriters – and benefitting from their deep expertise, we will be able to deliver a high-quality repertoire of music for podcasters”.
The podcast licensing service is currently in beta with plans to properly launch in 2020.
Meanwhile, now you’ve brought up all things podcasting, here is a podcast where we talk an awful lot about licensing music without having to go to the effort of actually licensing any music. Yes, after a short mini-break, Setlist is back. Here’s this week’s catch up edition.
