Expanded alliance ensures independent music publishers are accurately compensated for the use of their musical works in Europe, Canada, and the U.S.
September 7, 2022 – IMPEL, SX Works Global Publisher Services (SX Works), and the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA) have announced the completion of a strategic partnership that expands North American and international mutual licensing and back-office administration opportunities, ensuring music publishers are accurately and fairly compensated.
The partnership empowers IMPEL’s independent music publisher members to license their digital rights directly in Canada with the CMRRA and in the United States via SX Works.
“This is an important step for IMPEL. First and foremost, it is about giving valuable options to independent music publishers that did not previously exist,” said IMPEL CEO Sarah Williams. “We believe that this new strategic partnership is just the start of a collaboration that will bring real value to our members and the songwriters they represent. Whether this involves licensing opportunities, problem solving or any other innovation, in our universe co-operation is the key to unlocking opportunity.”
“CMRRA and SX Works are extremely proud of this partnership with IMPEL as we have a shared vision to ensure rights owners are accurately compensated for usage of their works,” said CMRRA and SX Works President Paul Shaver. “CMRRA’s long-standing foundational expertise in work-by-work, share-by-share administration will drive positive results for IMPEL members and their writers.”
In addition to the collection of digital royalties, IMPEL members can also opt in for licensing in other areas with CMRRA, including physical products and broadcast mechanical collections, in accordance with CMRRA’s a la carte program of client service offerings.
Further opportunities are offered to IMPEL members through SX Works – SoundExchange’s new integrated global publisher services administration and licensing division and CMRRA parent company. The alliance gives IMPEL members access to best-in-class data and administration services for the U.S. SX Works will handle all registrations, forward-claiming and historic data-mining of The MLC data sets, as well as inclusion in some of the most important UGC service licences in the U.S. SX Works leverages SoundExchange’s authoritative ISRC and sound recording data, CMRRA’s extensive musical works database, and both SoundExchange’s and CMRRA’s market-leading licensing and administration capabilities.
In an initial phase of the partnership, CMRRA members were able to join IMPEL’s multi-territory licences across Europe and beyond. More than 500 CMRRA clients have already enrolled and, with repertoire registration near completion, distributions are set to begin this year.
About IMPEL:
An international collective licensing agency representing digital publishing rights, IMPEL is 100% owned and controlled by its members, which include respected independent publishers such as Bucks Music Group, Beggars Music, Reservoir Music, Kassner Music, CTM, ABKCO, Truelove Music, Mute Song, Faber Music, and Reach Music.
About SX Works:
SX Works Global Publisher Services (SX Works), which originated with SoundExchange’s acquisition of the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency Ltd. (CMRRA), provides administration solutions to enable music publishers and self-published songwriters to manage their repertoire and musical works across the music ecosystem. For more information, please visit https://www.sx-works.com/.
About CMRRA:
The Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency Ltd. (CMRRA) represents the vast majority of music publishers doing business in Canada. CMRRA licenses, collects, and distributes royalties for the majority of songs recorded, sold and broadcast in Canada. The market-leading licensing and royalty collection body provides licences to dozens of digital services, including all the major online music services operating in Canada as well as YouTube, the Meta platforms, TikTok and more. CMRRA is a SoundExchange company. For more information, please visit cmrra.ca.