SC Distribution’s label signing for WIN

On Friday the French Music Industry agreed to bring in a new code of conduct based on the Worldwide Independent Network (WIN)’s Fair Digital Deals Declaration.

This voluntary alteration was agreed by an accumulation of French record companies, unions, recording artists, performers, online music services and others.  The agreement promises more transparency, freedom and fair treatment for artists in France.

The Fair Digital Deals Declaration has 5 key aims:

  1. Ensure that artists’ share of download and streaming revenues is clearly explained in recording agreements and royalty statements in reasonable summary form.
  2. Account to artists a good-faith pro-rata share of any revenues and other compensation from digital services that stem from the monetisation of recordings but are not attributed to specific recordings or performances.
  3. Encourage better standards of information from digital services on the usage and monetisation of music.
  4. Support artists who choose to oppose, including publicly, unauthorised uses of their music.
  5. Support the collective position of the global independent record company sector as outlined in the Global Independent Manifesto.

 

The chairman of WIN, Alison Wenham, said:

As I have said on many occasions throughout this process of implementing the Fair Digital Deals Declaration around the world over the last year, a healthy commercial relationship based on mutual trust and partnership between artists and labels is critical to the long term financial health of our industry.

The French music industry has shown great vision in embracing this initiative and I applaud them for it. The constructive and fruitful discussions between artists and the industry mediated by Marc Schwartz and the office of Fleur Pellerin are a shining example for others to follow.

 

France has taken the first step in what we hope leads to a fairer online landscape for artists. The possibilities with the internet and music are vast and brilliant  but artists need to be protected, informed and fairly treated by all areas of the industry.

Director General of the French Union of Phonographic Producers, Jerome Roger, said of the agreement:

After many months of negotiations it is extremely gratifying to see an agreement in place that will see French featured artists and record companies working together in a transparent manner towards fair deals in the digital environment.

We have demonstrated that by sitting down and discussing these hugely important issues we can reach an agreement that benefits everyone involved. We should all be very proud of that.

Find out more about WIN and the Fair Digital Deals Declaration from their website: http://winformusic.org/