YouTube’s transformation from a simple video-sharing site to an entertainment powerhouse has been reaffirmed with a licensing deal that would make them a legitimate factor in music popularity as well as a music distributor.
Music Week reported that Universal Music Publishing and France’s Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (SACEM) reached a deal with YouTube that will allow the site to distribute their music in 127 countries throughout Europe, Asia and Africa.
SACEM CEO Jean-Noël Tronc said that they are “proud” to be the first authors’ organization to sign a deal with YouTube.
He told Music Week: “This contract bears witness to our commitment to increasing both the visibility of works and the remuneration of our members, and of those of our partner UMP, with a major internet service, YouTube, the number one vector for discovering works on the internet.”
Universal Music Publishing CEO Zach Horowitz shared Tronc’s sentiments, noting that “the digital market can only flourish if creators receive fair remuneration delivered through efficient and innovative licensing solutions.”
The deal also means that YouTube will become an indicator of a song’s popularity in the countries covered by the deal, much like what Billboard has done in incorporating YouTube plays into its Hot 100 charts data.
This isn’t Universal Music Publishing’s only deal with streaming video entertainment. In February, they reached an agreement with the two biggest YouTube networks, Maker Studios and Fullscreen, that allows their creators to use Universal Music’s entire catalog.
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[…] Prior to joining Base79, Walker worked at YouTube for seven years in charge of content partnerships in the Europe, Middle East and Africa market where he helped launched YouTube in the region and secured landmark deals with the BBC and a sports deal with the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Recently, Walker helped secure music publishing deals with Universal Music Publishing and France’s SACEM publishers’ society. […]