SUISA Digital Licensing to manage online business for Slovakian copyright society SOZA
Slovakian copyright society SOZA has entrusted SUISA Digital Licensing with worldwide licensing and management of its members’ online music rights. For SOZA, this simplifies the management of online rights of its members - composers, lyricists and publishers of music.
Bratislava/Zurich, 5 September 2019 - Effective October 2019, SUISA Digital Licensing will be conducting negotiations with international online services such as streaming platforms and download services on behalf of the Slovakian collective management society SOZA and integrating the SOZA repertoire into its existing licences. SUISA Digital Licensing is a wholly owned subsidiary of SUISA, the cooperative society of authors and publishers of music in Switzerland, and responsible for the cross-border online licensing of music.
World class service to SOZA members
For SOZA, this collaboration means that online rights will be processed by a single source, instead of them having to work with multiple collecting societies in other countries. ‘The collaboration with SUISA Digital Licensing makes it much simpler for us to manage online rights for our members,’ says Ľubomír Burgr, Chairman of the Management Board at SOZA. ‘Ultimately it is our members – the music creators and publishers – who will benefit from this; they will receive a fair share for the online use of their music from all parts of the world.’ SOZA manages the online rights of more than 3,000 rights holders in Slovakia.
Mint to handle administration
The administration of online rights will be carried out by Mint Digital Services, the joint venture between SUISA and US performance rights organisation SESAC. Mint Digital Services maintains a database with 16 million documented musical works and 96 million sound recordings, of which 25 million are linked to compositions. This is one of the world’s most extensive databases for the identification of musical works.
‘We look forward to representing SOZA’s repertoire beginning in October!’ says Fabian Niggemeier, CEO of SUISA Digital Licensing. ‘We firmly believe that even small and medium-sized collective management societies have a right to the best licensing and processing in the online sector. This collaboration encourages us to ensure the most efficient utilisation in the interests of Swiss and Slovakian rights holders.’
The collaboration between SUISA Digital Licensing and SOZA will begin on 1 October.