The Independent Music Publishers e-Licensing (IMPEL) initiative is restructuring to operate as a standalone rights management organisation.
The IMPEL board has announced a new company and governance structure that will see ownership and rights transitioning over from former parent company MCPS.
As a separate company, IMPEL will be owned by its members. Under the new structure, it will become a collecting society, subject to the requirements of transparency and efficiency set by the European Union’s Collective Rights Management (CRM) directive.
A new membership agreement for IMPEL’s independent publisher members will ensure it can continue to license on a global basis.
Furthermore, IMPEL will be more flexible by offering non-exclusivity to members outside of the core IMPEL European territories. This is also expected to be implemented by April 2018.
IMPEL said the decision to separate MCPS and IMPEL has been made to ensure that both companies can operate in a way that allows their separate strategies to become fully realised.
The boards of both companies are working together through this period of transition, which is expected to be finalised by April 2018.
Jane Dyball, chief of the MPA Group of Companies, said: ‘In a highly competitive market there is a group of independent music publishers who are firmly committed to sticking together to improve their position in the digital landscape, and to provide a nimble and adaptable service to their members.’
Simon Platz, chair of IMPEL, said: ‘It is no secret that IMPEL has aspirations towards the success of MERLIN and this is the next step on that mission. IMPEL is owned only by independent music publishers. We are a group of publishers totally wedded to independence and totally wedded to being stronger together.’
The IMPEL board has announced a new company and governance structure that will see ownership and rights transitioning over from former parent company MCPS.
As a separate company, IMPEL will be owned by its members. Under the new structure, it will become a collecting society, subject to the requirements of transparency and efficiency set by the European Union’s Collective Rights Management (CRM) directive.
A new membership agreement for IMPEL’s independent publisher members will ensure it can continue to license on a global basis.
Furthermore, IMPEL will be more flexible by offering non-exclusivity to members outside of the core IMPEL European territories. This is also expected to be implemented by April 2018.
IMPEL said the decision to separate MCPS and IMPEL has been made to ensure that both companies can operate in a way that allows their separate strategies to become fully realised.
The boards of both companies are working together through this period of transition, which is expected to be finalised by April 2018.
Jane Dyball, chief of the MPA Group of Companies, said: ‘In a highly competitive market there is a group of independent music publishers who are firmly committed to sticking together to improve their position in the digital landscape, and to provide a nimble and adaptable service to their members.’
Simon Platz, chair of IMPEL, said: ‘It is no secret that IMPEL has aspirations towards the success of MERLIN and this is the next step on that mission. IMPEL is owned only by independent music publishers. We are a group of publishers totally wedded to independence and totally wedded to being stronger together.’
