The Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) has extended its agreement with ICE (International Copyright Enterprise) over a new multi-year period. The extension highlights the continued success of the partnership and is part of IMRO's aim to provide its members with the best possible service in the digital age.
The agreement will facilitate faster royalty payments to IMRO members for online performances of their works and enhanced usage transparency. IMRO is also 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.
IMRO's online revenue saw a growth of 30% in 2023, reflecting improved licensing terms with online streaming and social platforms, as well as the expanding reach of IMRO repertoire globally.
"We are delighted to continue our collaboration with ICE,” said Victor Finn, IMRO CEO. “International collaboration is key to maximising revenues for rights-holders 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. 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."
Ben McEwen, ICE chief commercial officer, commented: “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. Long-standing, 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.”
