Since it went fully independent in 2018, international collective licensing agency IMPEL – which represents global digital music rights on behalf of a host of publishers – has amassed dozens of new members. Here, its CEO Sarah Williams talks market power, the data challenge, AI and female leadership in the sector...
How do you view the growth of IMPEL since it went fully independent nearly eight years ago?
“It’s proof of the concept. It’s proof of the idea that the original publishers had that there was a real desire for the independent publishing community to take the reins, grow in autonomy and influence, and be able to shape things for themselves. We’ve grown organically, we haven’t been aggressive. It’s proven to be a really good thing, because all those members have joined us because they really get what the ethos is. They see it as a collective business.”
What’s your growth strategy for the organisation?
“It’s not growth for growth’s sake. As the market share increases, we have more power, but we also have to deliver really great service. So we’ve been working on that and understanding where we fit in, and how we can add value to the whole chain.”
Do you draw extensively on the expertise of IMPEL’s core publisher members?
“The operations group is really valuable – they have got very experienced copyright teams. Basically, they identify areas for improvement. They have direct engagement with our partners to try and improve processes and look at data-related issues. So, actually, you’ve got this group that’s continually solving problems that benefit the whole membership, and at the same time really improving the level of knowledge of the business within that core nucleus. So that really makes a difference.”
Who owns IMPEL at this point?
“IMPEL is a non-profit owned and controlled by all of its members, but it was started by a core group. We’re now transitioning to a different governance model, because they’ve realised that it’s important to get the membership thoroughly engaged. There’s been really amazing leadership from that core group. They pump-primed the whole thing, have really given a hell of a lot of time to it, and the rewards are there for everybody. We believe in the diversity of the repertoire and of the type of publishers, and we think that makes us generally stronger and a more attractive proposition to the DSPs.”
How does IMPEL compete in the marketplace for global digital music licensing?
“Our commission has to be competitive, but it’s not just the bottom line that matters. It’s getting the best licensing outcomes we can. We’ve chosen, at this stage of the development, to allow our partners to do the licensing – our main partner is SACEM for our core [pan-European] territory. We’re working with the best partners, being competitive on commission, giving [clients] lots of information and being the digital team that they won’t have [in their organisation] – that makes a massive difference.”
As the market share increases, we have more power, but we also have to deliver really great service
Sarah Williams
How has working with AMRA in the Asia-Pacific region helped you become a global operation?
“SACEM covers the core territory. However, there are these other territories – some emerging markets, some like Australia clearly established – that are of real interest to some of our members. We wanted to make sure that our members could license as directly as possible in as many territories as possible. AMRA came with a very proactive and flexible approach with us. We’ve been working with them for a year, and had the first distribution. They’ve got a very agile approach, which has worked very well for those particular territories.”
With major streaming markets maturing, does that impact the outlook for future growth?
“Yes, which is also part of our strategy for making sure that we’ve got as much coverage in emerging markets as possible. So in terms of our core growth and the growth that’s going to come from adding new members, it wouldn’t be over-optimistic to say we can double our market share in two to three years. In terms of business development opportunities, and other types of licensing, there’s definitely going to be growth there as well. I’m very sure that we are going to start to attract some significant players in other markets with repertoire that’s quite different from IMPEL’s traditional, more Anglo-American repertoire.”
How are you helping to address the data challenges in the industry?
“We’re working on an exciting collaboration with BMAT [Barcelona Music and Audio Technologies] to create a copyright management system that’s going to be something completely different and fresh for the sector.”
Will that play a role in fixing industry issues such as unallocated ‘black box’ royalties?
“Definitely. We are going to be able to improve the position for all of our members, but also be a really valuable partner to other organisations.”
How much of a threat is AI to your publisher members and their songwriters?
“Everybody worries about it to some degree. Some are looking into a deeper abyss than others. There’s definitely an increased willingness to engage now we understand better, and we can see AI businesses coming along that seem appropriate for licensing and are more willing to engage. Human-created music will never be replaced as long as we think of what we do as the creation of culture, and we market and communicate it as the creation and dissemination of culture, and not just content that is bundled and then licensed.”
Is the recent agreement on per diem label payments for songwriters a necessary change?
“Absolutely. I’m aware, too, of a few deals where songwriters have got an advance and a small payment on the masters side, which is a great step forward. What independent publishers need more than anything else is to be able to deliver really good services to writers. If we can’t help our members satisfy songwriters, they don’t have a business.”
Finally, with multiple women in leadership roles, has the sector been transformed in recent years?
“I do think that where you see female leadership, you’re likely also to meet maybe a more open and collaborative approach. That’s a generalisation but we are seeing more of that. Equally, I’ve got lots of male colleagues I can collaborate with very well. I just hope that we’re becoming more open generally. When you look at the profile of our membership – now 17 countries – that’s only going to grow.”
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