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Divorce between Meta and Siae, what Soundreef says and why it intervenes

1 year ago babelfish

Divorce between Meta and Siae, what Soundreef says and why it intervenes

Soundreef, an independent copyright manager, intervenes on the break between Meta and Siae: "Unprecedented seriousness, we are in contact with the parties, but looking for responsibility". Whose fault is it that the deal fell through?

The take down of the songs by Meta, already started yesterday afternoon due to the lack of agreement with Siae, concerns the repertoire of Italian music. And it also extends like a contagion "to the Soundreef repertoire shared with it, together with the catalog entirely managed by Soundreef and the foreign ones", Soundreef says .

"It is evident that the outcome of the negotiations between Meta and Siae is therefore damaging all the collecting societies operating, in Italy and elsewhere", is the intervention in the field of the independent copyright manager. “Given the exceptional gravity of this unprecedented event, Soundreef – which bills itself as the most advanced and efficient music copyright management company in Europe, providing high-quality background music for businesses, collecting and sharing royalties on behalf of authors, composers, publishers and labels for their use – is directly contacting both parties to understand how the entire negotiation was conducted and working to restore on the Meta platforms all the songs of which he fully administers the rights”.

SOUNDREEF MEDIA BUT WARN META AND SIAE

In short, Soundreef enters the game as a mediator. "It is understood that, should any liability arise with respect to the failure to reach an agreement, Soundreef will assert its rights in relation to and in defense of its repertoire", he warns.

WHOSE FAULT IS IT?

Responsibilities are yet to be defined. Enzo Mazza , CEO of FIMI, the Italian music industry federation, in relaunching the article written this morning on Start from his social networks , seems to have no doubts: "Let's try to understand how we arrived at this unique scenario on the European scene which demonstrates the enormous power of platforms in deciding the life and death of the contents made available online”.

And the piece itself reads: "The approach of social media is therefore very aggressive and affects an entire sector which from the consumption of music on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram earned over twenty million euros in 2022 according to FIMI data".

And, again: “It is absolutely unacceptable that a subject in a dominant position like Meta can act in this way in the absence of a license with only one of the subjects from which it must obtain the rights. Meta has capitalized extensively on the use of music that has become central to social channels and fans, creators and brands have relied on this wide availability of content made available by the music industry. Entire social campaign planning, marketing and promotional activities were canceled in one night”.

The damages are actually huge, both for artists, for music, and for those who had campaigns and marketing activities on social Meta. "Meta – writes Mazza again – with this initiative wanted to hit the entire Italian music chain as retaliation for the failed agreement with Siae, creating enormous frustration in the artistic and industrial community and this is in no way acceptable".

But there are also those who argue that the fault lies with the other party, therefore with Siae. This is the case of Matteo Flora , professor in Corporate Reputation & Business Storytelling, in CyberSecurity and in Data Driven Strategies as well as founder of The Fool, an Italian company active in the Customer Insight sector to increase the value and reputation of brands and people on the Web, but above all known and followed commentator of all the facts concerning the Internet and its surroundings.

“Yes, #SIAE has KILLED the artists and the record companies. In the end, without getting around the subject, this is the only real interpretation we can give,” he tweeted without getting around too much. "It is useless – he adds, again via Twitter – to push on the narrative of a "bad" Meta that does not "close agreements", closed in 130 countries and renewed with the SIAE counterparts in ES, FR, DE, UK … Here we are dealing with the incapacity of the Collection Agency to know how to manage a negotiation IN THE INTEREST OF THE ARTISTS”.

“Did SIAE really think it could have such different conditions from all the other European subjects?” Flora asks rhetorically. “Or did he think – stupidly in this case – that Meta would have supinely accepted any condition? The same Meta, I recall, who REMOVED all press from the platform in Australia, for example?”

“Do we really think that the American Creators will rise up to not be able to use the Maneskins? Or will they switch to another group?” In short, the damage would all be localized in Italy: from other parts of the world no one will tear their clothes. "In my opinion, an incredibly short-sighted and opinionated exercise by SIAE, an incredible damage for Italian Artists and Labels all over the world, a choice made on a purely economic basis and not based on interests", concludes Flora, warning that it is “above all” of the “greatest gift that SIAE could give to Soundreef and the competing Collection Agencies”. Soundreef, however, doesn't seem to agree entirely.

This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/divorzio-tra-meta-e-siae-cosa-dice-soundreef-e-perche-interviene/ on Fri, 17 Mar 2023 12:16:03 +0000.