IMRO Extends Agreement with ICE in new multi-year deal

09 July 2024 - Press release

 

The Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) is pleased to announce the extension of its agreement with ICE the (International Copyright Enterprise) over a new multi-year period. This extension highlights the continued success of the partnership between IMRO and ICE, and underscores IMRO's dedication to providing its members with the best possible service in the digital age.

Victor Finn, IMRO Chief Executive Officer, expressed his enthusiasm for the extended partnership, stating, "We are delighted to continue our collaboration with ICE. International collaboration is key to maximising revenues for rightsholders whilst minimising costs without duplicating resources in individual markets. This extension is a testament to the strong relationship we have built over the years and our joint commitment to ensuring the highest compensation for our members for the online use of their music."

The extended agreement will facilitate faster royalty payments to IMRO members for online performances of their works and enhanced usage transparency. IMRO is currently transitioning from quarterly to monthly distributions for online royalty payments, positioning itself as a market leader in the Collective Management Organisation (CMO) network for the frequency of online distributions to its members and affiliates.

Thanks to IMRO's successful longstanding agreements with ICE and other international partners, IMRO members receive their online royalties covering music streaming and online video platforms from around the world at the most competitive rates possible. 

IMRO's online revenue saw an impressive growth of 30% in 2023, reflecting improved licensing terms with popular online streaming and social platforms, as well as the expanding reach of IMRO repertoire globally. An ever-increasing number of songwriters, composers, and publishers are now choosing IMRO for their digital rights representation globally.

"We were proud to be a market leader by becoming the first non-shareholder CMO customer of ICE Licensing back in 2019, and equally pleased to be transitioning to monthly online distributions later in 2024 " said Finn.  IMRO is committed to remaining at the forefront of ensuring our members receive fair compensation for their creative works. Many members are receiving higher online royalty income, including from countries where they hadn't received royalties before."

Ben McEwen, ICE Chief Commercial Officer, "We deeply value the confidence IMRO have shown in ICE with this extension. Supporting forward-looking CMOs and Publishers to innovate service to their songwriters and composers, whom we all ultimately serve, is critical and ensures our partners will thrive in the modern music rights environment. Longstanding, close partnership is a feature of how we work, and we look forward to doing so with the great team at IMRO for a long time, both in representing their rights within the ICE Core licence and beyond."