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IMRO Live Streaming Tariff – Member Consultation

March 23, 2021

Although not a new way for people to consume music, the number of online concerts has grown significantly over the last 12 months, accelerated by the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Pandemic restrictions introduced in mid-March 2020 has resulted in mass postponements and cancellations of traditional tours, concerts and festivals, and this coincided with technologies becoming available which allowed those events to be streamed online instead.

As a result, a high volume of artists, venues and promoters have sought to deliver their music to fans using alternative methods including live online streaming. These online events vary from larger events hosted in traditional venues to smaller events streamed from studios.  Live Streamed events access requirements vary widely from being free of charge, ticketed, voluntary and mandatory donations and tips. The platforms that the live streamed events are hosted on also varies widely from popular social media platforms to bespoke streaming services and artists and venues own websites. 

All participants in the value chain understand the contribution made by songwriters, composers and publishers and that fair remuneration is wholly appropriate in the live streaming environment. A new tariff is now necessary to take account of the additional rights required in relation to make such concerts available online.  It is proposed that IMRO would provide a Joint License for the public performance and the additional rights.  These additional rights include; 

  • Making available right
  • Mechanical right
  • Synchronisation right

We are now consulting with the live entertainment industry to canvass its views in relation to introducing a new tariff to encompass live streaming events.

The consultation applies to all live streamed events that incorporate copyright music as part of the performance and any subsequent catch up or download of those live streamed events. 

Live Streamed events that are free of charge and hosted on platforms already licensed by IMRO, such as YouTube and Facebook, are outside the scope of this proposed tariff and this consultation process.

This consultation seeks to understand your insights and valuable experience of live streaming including revenues, production costs, live streaming demand and any other information you believe is relevant to the setting of a new tariff.

The consultation also seeks your views on the future of Live Streaming and how it may change the way music is consumed. 

The Consultation Process

IMRO is seeking responses to the consultation from its members by Friday 16th April 2021.

All responses received on or before this date will be reviewed. 

Once the responses to the consultation have been received, we will review and summarise the main issues and considerations highlighted in the responses and prepare a Draft Live Streaming Tariff Document which we will then circulate to the industry.

How to Respond

Please complete the consultation questionnaire by answering any or all questions that you feel are relevant.  There is a general feedback section at the end of the consultation questionnaire where you can provide any information that you feel was not covered elsewhere in the questionnaire. 

Questionnaire Link: https://imro.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Live-Streaming-Tariff-Consultation-Questionnaire.docx

Please send the completed consultation questionnaire as an attachment in an e-mail to consultation@nullimro.ie

Please attach any other documents that you feel are relevant to helping IMRO understand your Live Streaming experience, including details of all revenues, stream numbers and costs involved in hosting such events (e.g. excel spreadsheets with stream details for specific events and detailed line item revenue and cost information).  IMRO recommends that if there is any sensitive information being shared that files are password protected with the password provided in a separate e-mail.  IMRO assures you that any information shared as part of this consultation process will only be used to evaluate the Live Streaming market and tariff creation and will not be shared with any parties or used for any other purpose. 

If you have any questions about this consultation process in advance of submitting your consultation response, please send your question to consultation@nullimro.ie

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