From M/Cyclopedia of New Media
Rightsrouter
- Rightsrouter was launched in January 2004 by the UK Association of Independent Music (AIM) to establish licensing agreements between digital music services and independent musicians. AIM “promotes and protects independents on a national and international level� (AIM, 2004). It does this by negotiating with the government and major players in the global music industry on behalf of independent musicians worldwide.
- Rightsrouter aims to set up “straightforward and efficient one-stop rights administration to aid licensing across geographical territories and for various distribution channels� (AIM, 2004). This means they act as a direct link between independent artists and online companies and negotiate deals with those distribution channels to ensure the indie musicians are well represented and get the royalties they deserve.
- Rightsrouter’s view is that musicians should have direct control over their intellectual property but still be able to distribute it widely in digital form through channels like the internet. AIM sees Rightsrouter as the perfect opportunity for the global music industry to reap the rewards of new media technologies and generate revenue from new channels such as online and mobile (AIM, 2004).
- Any musician can join the Rightsrouter Network regardless of the size of their repertoire, genre of music or their geographical location. The musician can then decide how much of their music will be distributed through which channels. At all times the content created retains complete control.
- An organisation like Rightsrouter has the potential to really boost the independent sector. It gives independent musicians the ability to bypass the intermediaries and distribute their music directly to the public. Steve Johnston, who is in charge of digital rights management for AIM, said at the Q Music's Big Sound conference in Brisbane that “A massive and significant change in levelling the playing field is taking place and it's going to be very, very good for the independent sector� (Liddy, 2004).
- Not only will Rightsrouter benefit individual independent musicians but it also gives independent labels a competitive edge. Steve Johnson also discussed this at the Q Music's Big Sound conference and said that “Technology is allowing smaller labels to compete more effectively against the multinationals� (Liddy, 2004).
- Rightsrouter is a truly global company funded by a Swiss investment company but based in Glasgow with offices in London and Zurich. It also has a very global focus and aims to create new opportunities for musicians worldwide. It provides a very viable alternative to the traditional and often exploitative musician/record company relationship.
References
Online Resources
Bronwen Loden 18:14, 28 Oct 2004 (EST)
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