UK music publishers celebrate ‘special relationship’ with boost in exports to the USA
02 July 2015 - Press releaseFor three years running, 1 in 3 of the Year End 100 US albums feature compositions by a UK songwriter - including those by Taylor Swift, Eminem and Katy Perry
Music publishing accounts for more than 25% of UK music industry exports - driven by increased placements of songs in films, TV and advertising
Ahead of this weekend’s 4th of July celebrations, the Music Publishers Association (MPA), the body that represents the UK’s music publishing sector, can reveal that British songwriters and composers represented by our members contributed to more than 1 in 3 (38%) of Billboard’s Year End 100 US albums for 2014 - including those by Taylor Swift, Eminem and Katy Perry.
It is the third year in succession that this threshold has been crossed - with compositions by UK writers included on 39% of Billboard’s Year End 100 US albums in 2012 and 35% of albums in 2013.
The findings are consistent with the RIAA’s 100 best-selling US albums of all-time - of which 36 include a contribution from a UK songwriter, ranging from complete collections (as with Pink Floyd’s The Wall or Led Zeppelin IV) to individual songs.
For example, the bestselling US album of all time, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, contains three compositions by Cleethorpes-born writer Rod Templeton; while the 17m-selling soundtrack to The Bodyguard features Curtis Stigers’ cover of the Nick Lowe classic “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding”.
The MPA’s 260 music publisher members represent more than 4,000 catalogues across every genre - working with songwriters and composers to help support, protect, promote and licence their work.
In 2013, according to research by pan-industry body UK Music, UK music publishers contributed £562m worth of export revenues to the economy - more than a quarter of the industry’s £2.2 bn total. The figure was boosted by an increase in sync licensing (placement of music in TV, films and advertising) to non-UK licensees, and by increased payments from non-UK collecting societies.
Along with the US and Sweden, the UK is one of only 3 net exporters of musical repertoire.
Speaking at the MPA’s Annual General Meeting, acting CEO Jane Dyball commented:
“The essential role of any music publishing business is to nurture the careers of songwriters and composers - supporting them creatively, licensing their work, protecting their copyrights and ensuring they are properly paid.
“The value this brings is most evident in overseas exports, and especially so in North America where UK songwriters have reached astonishingly consistent levels of success. As today’s data highlights, that success is as strong today as at any point over the past five decades, with UK writers contributing to over one in three of Billboard’s 100 Year End US albums for the past three years.”
To help capitalise on these commercial opportunities, the MPA joins annually with UK record industry body the BPI and UK Trade & Investment in hosting a Sync Mission to Los Angeles - meeting with music supervisors and other US music professionals. Since 2011, when the MPA was first involved in the initiative, this has seen more than 150 music businesses take part.
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