Copyright is fundamental to the economic success of the creative sector. It provides an incentive for investment whether by a creator investing their time or a company investing in distributing content. Licensing of copyright is the mechanism that provides creators with the ability to make money out of their work. Rights are licensed to businesses that use content to allow them to offer consumers more choice and more innovative services.
Ireland is internationally renowned for its creative talent. Creators and creative organisations call simply for the right to license their works to others at the point at which creative content creates value for them. The creative sector is forward-looking. It is actively promoting copyright licensing solutions, especially in support of the partnerships with tech companies with whom they are developing new digital business models.
It is estimated that the core copyright industries in Ireland in 2011, of which the music industry is a key player, comprised 8,600 enterprises with 46,300 full time equivalent persons employed (70,400 persons engaged) a turnover of €18.85 billion and gross value added (GVA) of €4.6 billion. The latter, which represents the direct economic contribution, is equivalent to 2.93% of GDP.
Copyright – and the licensing system that depends upon – has already generated a wealth of consumer services in both analogue and digital media including downloads, on-demand streaming, cloud services, adverts, broadcast, exhibition and public use. There are now a plethora of licensed services available in Ireland from which consumers greatly benefit. A list of licensed services currently available in Ireland is available here: http://www.pro-music.org/legal-music-services.php
IMRO protects the rights of music creators who, every day, produce numerous new songs, recordings and performances. Copyright does work. It ensures a fair share of income for Irish content creators and it brings significant money into the Irish economy. It must be supported.
Copyright should not be seen as an obstacle; it is an asset. Copyright gives a creator ownership of their work and allows that work to be traded, just like any other property. Copyright is a flexible system which rewards the creator, incentivises investors and gives consumers access to content in a vibrant market.
For more information on copyright visit: https://imro.ie/make-music/about-copyright/
For further information contact:
Keith Johnson
Director of Marketing & Membership
Irish Music Rights Organisation
E: keith.johnson@nullimro.ie
W: www.imro.ie IMRO | Cherishing Music In A Changing World
About IMRO
The Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) is a national organisation that administers the copyright for the public performance of music in Ireland on behalf of its 11,000 members – songwriters, composers and music publishers – and on behalf of the members of the international overseas societies that are affiliated to it. IMRO’s function is to collect and distribute royalties arising from the public performance of copyright works.
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