Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo Credit: Wengang Zhai
SESAC has officially partnered with the Philippines’ FILSCAP, Indonesia’s WAMI, Malaysia’s MACP, Thailand’s MCT, and Vietnam’s VCPMC to establish a “multi-territorial digital licensing hub” called the Asian Alliance Music Rights Organization (AAMRO).
The Nashville-headquartered performance rights organization (PRO) reached out to Digital Music News with word of the “landmark initiative” today. Tasked with managing licensing and royalty distribution for the above-mentioned societies’ repertoires in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, the newly minted AAMRO will be headquartered in Liechtenstein, SESAC disclosed.
Meanwhile, Mint Digital Services – that is, the SESAC-SUISA joint initiative that’s involved with (among other things) SESAC’s Wise Music Australia licensing pact in Southeast Asia – will handle administration for AAMRO, per the entities. This partnership, the parties likewise indicated, “further fortifies AAMRO’s position as a cutting-edge, technology-driven organization.”
Addressing the development in a joint statement, FILSCAP, WAMI, MACP, MCT, and VCPMC touched upon the exposure and compensation advantages that they believe AAMRO is poised to bring about in the approaching months and years.
“This collaboration opens up new avenues for our talented Asian music authors to reach a global audience and ensures that they receive fair compensation for the usage of their works outside of Asia,” the societies communicated in part. “By leveraging this collaboration, we are committed to unlocking the full potential of Asian music authors and showcasing the rich diversity of our musical heritage to audiences worldwide.”
And in comments of his own, SESAC president of international Alexander Wolf relayed: “As a long-time collaborator with all the Asian collection societies, I am thrilled that we are joining forces to create an organization dedicated to expanding music licensing and administration of their musical works outside the region.
“It is critical that we support Asian music creators and publishers with best-in-class data matching, licensing, and administration services outside of Asia to increase royalties and enhance the careers of these talented songwriters and composers,” finished the Harry Fox exec.
Needless to say, the announcement of AAMRO has arrived amid rapid music industry growth within the above-mentioned nations, the combined population of which is close to 600 million.
After debuting a Vietnamese label called monoX one year back, Universal Music Group earlier in July of 2023 scooped up a 70 percent interest in the catalog of Thailand’s RS Music. And before that, Thai rapper and entertainer Khanngoen Nuanual purchased Bangkok-based film distributor M Pictures, whereas TikTok unveiled plans to inject billions into Indonesia and other Southeast Asia nations in the coming years.
