Merlin ensures that independents have a vehicle which can protect and enhance the strength, diversity and unique interests of its members and enhance their ability to compete in the ever changing world of digital music; and ensures that digital services have the access to the widest range of independent repertoire possible.
Merlin is the global rights agency for the independent label sector, representing over 20,000 labels from 39 countries. Merlin focuses purely on the interests of the global independent music sector.
The organisation acts to ensure its members have effective access to new and emerging revenue streams and that their rights are ...
Merlin ensures that independents have a vehicle which can protect and enhance the strength, diversity and unique interests of its members and enhance their ability to compete in the ever changing world of digital music; and ensures that digital services have the access to the widest range of independent repertoire possible.
Merlin is the global rights agency for the independent label sector, representing over 20,000 labels from 39 countries. Merlin focuses purely on the interests of the global independent music sector.
The organisation acts to ensure its members have effective access to new and emerging revenue streams and that their rights are appropriately valued and protected in the digital realm.
Merlin represents clearly the most commercially valuable single basket of rights outside of those held by the three “major” labels.
Merlin offers Digital Services the opportunity to efficiently and globally license - via a single deal, instead of hundreds of individual local deals – the world’s most important and commercially successful music labels. Since its launch Merlin has established itself as a key partner to the world’s leading new-generation digital music services including Google Play, Spotify, Deezer, Beats Music, Sony Music Unlimited, Rdio, rara.com, YouTube and Muve Music.
The independent sector is the fastest growing sector in the music business, representing not only a huge breadth and diversity of local music on a territory-by-territory basis, but also an increasing number of hit, commercial chart acts.
Merlin has also successfully achieved significant infringement settlements against companies such as Limewire and Grooveshark.
Merlin is not an aggregator. Its remit is to represent its members in deals that can’t be easily negotiated locally or individually or are not covered adequately by existing arrangements. It is a run as a non-profit organisation, with all dividends from its commercial investments being shared among its members.
Merlin enables independents to overcome the historical problems of market fragmentation that have typified the independent music sector. Facilitating this process will open up the market to independent music in a way that creates the opportunity to capture previously unavailable revenue streams.
Merlin is an inclusive model that seeks to improve the trading environment for the rights holders and other key stakeholders in our sector, such as distributors.
Merlin is about enhancing independents' ability to compete in the ever changing market by creating access to new revenue streams for labels and ensuring that services have the access to the widest range of independent repertoire possible.
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Number of Employees:
0-25
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Annual Revenue:
$0-1 Million