The Jamaican and UK Performance Rights Organizations (PROs), JAMMS and PPL, have announced closer collaboration that will widen the footprint of global royalty collections for Jamaican Producers and Performers, where their recorded music is played internationally.
Both JAMMS and PPL collect revenues for the use of recorded music on radio, television as well as in public places, such as restaurants, clubs, bars, retail stores, hotels, and other venues. Each organization does this in their own country, as well as overseas, through a network of international agreements.
The new partnership between the two companies will see PPL collect international revenues for JAMMS’ members across all the major music markets, as well as a wide array of territories such as Australia, South Korea, South Africa and India. Although JAMMS has direct agreements with counterparts in some countries, the addition of PPL’s network of more than 100 international agreements with other PROs will support the further growth of JAMMS’ international collections on behalf of more than 1,400 established producers and performers.
The partnership is already seeing money flow back to the Jamaican industry from around the world. The expanded partnership took effect in 2020 and dozens of JAMMS members have already been benefiting. The expertise of the JAMMS team in regard to local repertoire helps to fuel the effectiveness of the partnership through international royalty claims which are driven by accurate repertoire information.
Commenting on the new partnership, JAMMS General Manager Evon Mullings, said,
“Our objective is simple, to give our members the best chance of increasing their royalty earnings. This expanded arrangement gives us the global footprint we need to deliver more royalties to more of our members”.
Peter Leathem, Chief Executive Officer at PPL, added,
“PPL is delighted to be carrying out international collections for JAMMS as an extension of our positive working relationship to date. We know that Jamaica has a wealth of musical talent and we can see the volume and speed at which music is being released in the country. JAMMS is doing a fantastic job on behalf of performers and producers, allowing them to spend more time investing in creativity. It is a real pleasure to work with them and to be part of their efforts to support and further develop the Jamaican music industry.”
JAMMS and PPL have been working together since 2010 when both parties entered into a bilateral agreement for producers. This allowed each organisation to ensure that their respective producer members were being paid for the use of their recorded music in both Jamaica and the UK.
Later, in 2017, PPL signed a unilateral agreement with JAMMS for performers. This was an industry first which marked a significant leap forward for the Jamaican music industry, closing a longstanding gap that had seen performers miss out on royalty payments where their music was being used overseas.
This latest development in the two companies’ partnership was announced at the JAMMS AGM on Saturday 12 December 2020 where Peter Leathem – PPL CEO – addressed JAMMS members via video link.
