Spotify, SoundCloud and Deezer are amongst new members of a European lobbying organization which aims to “advocate for policies that shape a favourable business environment for digital music”.
Quite who this hypothetical business environment will be favourable for is a separate question – although it is no secret, for example, that global DSPs typically don’t love negotiating with multiple performance rights organizations in different territories with different rules.
Then there’s the age-old digital music rights headache: how can a music startup get an idea off the ground without crippling their business before it’s begun with licensing payments or equity handouts to labels and publishers?
The alliance, named Digital Music Europe (DME), also includes members such as UK-based 7digital and two French companies, streaming service Qobuz and Paris-based data startup Soundcharts.
“We believe that policy-makers have a key role to play to support the growth of the entire music sector and enable more innovation in Europe.”
Olivia Regnier, Spotify
DME will ‘serve as a resource for policy-makers, media and the digital music industry, and will advocate for policies that shape a favourable business environment for digital music’.
“For a decade, European digital music companies have led the transformation of the music industry globally. Bringing these companies together to create DME is a great opportunity to highlight European leadership in this sector, inspire other European entrepreneurs and create a unique voice with policy-makers”, said Hans-Holger Albrecht, President of Digital Music Europe and CEO of Deezer.
“DME is eager to share the experience and vision of its members to contribute to policy debates shaping Europe’s Digital Single Market. We believe that policy-makers have a key role to play to support the growth of the entire music sector and enable more innovation in Europe,“ says Olivia Regnier, Chair of DME and Director of EU Regulatory Affairs at Spotify
DME is observing EU policy debates on issues such as copyright, geo-blocking, online platforms, e-privacy, data transfers, digital contracts and taxation and says it ‘will work with European policy-makers and others that are passionate about music to create a legislative and regulatory framework that supports the growth of digital music, and brings benefits to both artists and consumers’.Music Business Worldwide
