January 16 is Deadline for Opting in to Historic New Agreement with YouTube

The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) and The Harry Fox Agency, Inc. (HFA) in November announced details of an opportunity for all independent music publishers to opt into a direct license agreement with YouTube.

Earlier this year the NMPA, HFA and YouTube concluded a landmark agreement whereby independent music publishers may grant the rights necessary for the synchronization of their musical works with certain videos posted by YouTube users. HFA will administer these direct license agreements between YouTube and publishers, and royalties will be based on advertising revenue collected worldwide by YouTube from ads placed alongside user-generated videos. 

“The licensing opportunity recognizes and compensates the contributions of songwriters and publishers, and establishes an ongoing mechanism for sharing revenues generated when their work is used online,” said NMPA President and CEO David Israelite. “This is enormous progress for independent publishers and their songwriters, who previously have not been afforded the opportunity to capitalize on these kinds of revenue streams.”

Participation is available to all independent publishers in the U.S. regardless of whether they are affiliated with HFA. Publishers must sign-up for the YouTube direct licensing agreement at www.youtubelicenseoffer.com from November 17, 2011 through January 16, 2012 to be eligible for an advance.  More information about this historic and industry-changing agreement can be found at www.youtubelicenseoffer.com.