Almost two years ago, Music Week quizzed PPL’s chief executive Peter Leathem about the entrance of BMG into the neighbouring rights business as potential major rival.
Now BMG has recruited one of PPL’s leading executives, Sarah Mitchell, to run its UK-based neighbouring rights division.
Mitchell was director of membership & communications at neighbouring rights collection society PPL,which has a client base of more than 130,000 performers and recording rights-holders.
At BMG she will report to president, repertoire and marketing UK, Alistair Norbury, concentrating on a boutique roster of high-value clients.
Alistair Norbury said: “We see a unique opportunity to super-serve a select list of clients in neighbouring rights. For us, this is not a volume business. Sarah’s unique experience and high-level understanding of neighbouring rights make her the ideal choice for this exciting and growing area.”
BMG’s distinctive culture and client-centred approach have really set the agenda
Sarah Mitchell
Current BMG neighbouring rights clients include The Rolling Stones, Roger Daltrey, Jonas Blue and Mick Fleetwood, as well as rights included in recent acquisitions including Primal Scream, John Lee Hooker, Tina Turner and ZZ Top.
Sarah Mitchell joined PPL in 2014 as head of public performance operations, becoming head of member services in 2017 and director of member services in 2018. Previously she held senior roles at Eurostar and Carphone Warehouse.
Sarah Mitchell said: “BMG’s distinctive culture and client-centred approach have really set the agenda for what it means to be a music company in the streaming age. I see this as the perfect opportunity to employ my industry knowledge and relationships to develop a premium neighbouring rights service.”
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