Mint Digital Services, the joint venture between the Swiss copyright society SUISA and US music rights organization SESAC, has entered into a cooperation with ACUM, the Israeli copyright society. Mint administers the online rights of more than a half-a-million musical works from ACUM’s 12,300 members–authors, composers, and music publishers. The cooperation covers ACUM's international operations.
Better terms for music right-holders
The main contracting partner for ACUM is SUISA Digital Licensing, which will conduct negotiations with international online services such as streaming platforms and download services on behalf of ACUM, integrating the ACUM repertoire into its existing licenses. SUISA Digital Licensing is a subsidiary of SUISA, the cooperative society of authors and publishers of music in Switzerland, and responsible for the cross-border online licensing of music. The joint license structure allows individual right-holders access to better terms, increasing the compensation for their works.
ACUM benefits from Mint Digital Service’s state-of-the-art systems to process music usages. Its unique end-to-end approach brings full transparency to ACUM and its members. Mint Digital Services maintains a database with 16 million documented musical works and 96 million sound recordings, of which 25 million are linked to compositions. This is one of the world’s most extensive databases for the identification of musical works.
ACUM represents TV composers such as Gilad Ben-AMRAM (FAUDA) and Mark Eliyahu (TEHRAN) as well Israeli pop sensation Static & Ben El Tavori, whose most recent single with Black Eyed Peas is having a global impact. ACUM has a total of 12,300 registered members: creators in the fields of popular music, concert music, publishers, poetry and literature.
Online rights processed by a single source
For ACUM, this collaboration means that online rights will be processed by a single source, instead of them having to work with multiple collecting societies in other countries. “I am excited about our new partnership with SUISA Digital Licensing. I'm confident it will generate great value for our members as to the global exploitation of their works on digital platforms,” says Assaf Nahoum, Chief Business Development Manager at ACUM.
“We are delighted to represent ACUM and its members,” says Fabian Niggemeier, CEO of Mint Digital Services. “With the prestigious repertoire of ACUM, Mint can negotiate better terms with the online service providers, which brings financial benefits for the rights holders of music.”
“After years of a trustful relationship with ACUM, I’m pleased that we’ve taken the next steps to work together while providing the resources and expertise of both SESAC Digital Licensing and Mint Digital Services,” added Alexander Wolf, President of International, SESAC and The Harry Fox Agency. “With the emerging marketplace in Israel, the collaboration will not only provide efficiencies within the music streaming sectors in surrounding territories, it will also deliver value to the creators with faster royalty payments.”
