A Commerce Commission investigation has resulted in a voluntary change of rules in the music copyright industry that will allow for competition to occur, to the benefit of those who purchase licenses for copyrighted music, the watchdog says.The commission
A Commerce Commission investigation has resulted in a voluntary change of rules in the music copyright industry that will allow for competition to occur, to the benefit of those who purchase licenses for copyrighted music, the watchdog says.
The commission began an investigation in 2009, following a complaint about royalty agreements between owners of music copyright and Phonographic Performance NZ (PPNZ).
The royalty agreements were expressed as being exclusive agreements which meant that persons wishing to purchase licenses for copyrighted music could only deal through PPNZ. This prevented potential purchasers from negotiating on price directly with the owners of the copyrighted music.
The commission’s investigation identified concerns under section 27 of the Commerce Act and concluded that the removal of any exclusive licenses would have a positive impact on competition for music broadcast licenses.
Negotiate with big record companies directly
As a result of the investigation, PPNZ and the four New Zealand major recording companies (Sony, Warner, EMI and Universal) have agreed to express their royalty agreements as being non-exclusive. That will allow direct negotiation between potential purchasers and the four companies. It will also have the effect of opening up about 70% of the market to competitive negotiation.
In addition, the four recording companies have developed and published protocols outlining their direct dealing policies.
“The commission is satisfied that this is a pragmatic solution to the issue. It will allow competition for the sale and purchase of licences. However, it also preserves the efficiency gains that arise from PPNZ being the one point of contact for small users of copyrighted music (such as restaurants and ‘on hold’ background music), instead of having to deal with the large numbers of owners of copyright,” said Kate Morrison, General Manager Enforcement at the Commerce Commission.
The commission will be taking no further enforcement action as the voluntary resolution to this matter has satisfactorily dealt with the competition concerns raised.
PPNZ is an incorporated, non-profit joint venture that centrally administers the licensing of public performance and broadcasting rights for music and music video recordings on behalf of its clients and collects royalties.
