Cousins joined PPL from university in 2011 and has worked in a range of radio and online licensing roles, becoming an expert in this field. In her new role Cousins and her team are charged with looking after and growing PPL’s extensive portfolio of radio and online licensees. Immediate priorities will be to work with stakeholders to further develop PPL’s livestreaming approach on behalf of the company’s recording rightsholder and performer members and to expand PPL’s multi-territory online licensing in partnership with licensees and overseas Collective Management Organisations (CMOs).
Rogers joined PPL from American Express as a rights negotiator in 2018, bringing with him a strong analytical and commercial focus to the company’s major broadcast negotiations. With his new role, Rogers and his team are responsible for negotiating PPL’s largest and most complex TV deals and for ensuring that PPL’s audio-visual licensing framework remains fit for purpose and provides value to PPL’s members in a market that is undergoing a seismic shift from linear TV to digital on-demand services.
In their new roles Cousins and Rogers report to PPL Chief Licensing Officer Jez Bell who said: “I am delighted to announce these thoroughly deserved promotions, which underline PPL’s long-term commitment to finding, developing and retaining talent and knowledge across our team. Lucy is our undisputed champion of radio and online licensing and Charlie has become a key leader in our broadcast negotiations. Their experience, knowledge and expertise will be invaluable as PPL steers its way through a broadcast sector that is undergoing rapid and unprecedented change but is also creating new opportunities for us to license our members’ music.”
Cousins said: “It is such an exciting time to work in radio and online, with the recent emergence of livestreaming and with radio increasingly moving into the online space through the use of new technologies. This challenges us to think differently about how we approach the licensing of audio services now and in the future.
“After a decade with the organisation, I feel immensely privileged to progress my career within PPL and look forward to continue working with our licensees, overseas CMOs that manage similar rights to PPL in their territory and on behalf of our rightsholder and performer members.”
Rogers said: “I am very proud to continue my journey at PPL. The company is, top to bottom, full of people who love music and want to make a difference for the performers and recording rightsholders we represent.
“The world of TV has and continues to change dramatically, with more competition for eyeballs than ever and people able to watch TV any time, any place and on any device. We have to keep pace with that change and I look forward to continue working with the sector to ensure that our members are fairly paid for the use of their recordings.”
