Kobalt: Royalty Decree

Music publisher, label services and big data catch all company Kobalt has launched a new collection society built upon the American Music Rights Association (AMRA), which it acquired in 2014.

Purporting to be “The first global, direct, digital mechanical and performing rights society”, the ‘new’ organisation will be based on a global, direct collection structure and will use Kobalt’s KORE processing platform to increase transparency around royalty collection.

It will offer publisher members licensing of Anglo-American repertoire to DSPs operating in multiple territories and collection of writer’s share of public performance monies on behalf of its members. However, single territory digital music services will continue to be licensed by the relevant local collection societies.

Founder and CEO of Kobalt Willard Ahdritz said: “With AMRA, we are now able to fully execute our original Kobalt vision of trust and technology for creators and rights owners on a global scale. AMRA allows us to offer service unlike anything ever seen before in royalty collections. The industry can no longer afford to spend $5 collecting $1 – the efficiency and transparency of AMRA is the future”.