San Francisco-based blockchain music platform Audius has entered into a multi-region licensing agreement with International Rights Enterprise (ICE).
Audius said the deal “establishes a pathway for more than 330,000 rights holders to receive royalties for as long as their music is used on Audius, covering a wide range of territories, including sub-Saharan Africa and Asia Pacific.”
In the past few months, Audius has signed deals with some of the biggest names in music publishing and performance rights.
Audius partners include Kobalt, ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and GMR, among others.
A number of independent labels and distributors also work with Audius, including DistroKid, Beatport, EMPIRE, Nettwerk Music, Ninja Tune, Merge Records, Ampsuite, Circus Records, Anjunadeepand Anjuna beats.
The latest deal comes after the company publicly launched its direct payments feature in September, which allows artists to set prices for their music and receive payments from fans.
The monetization feature initially launched in beta to more than 100 artists in November 2023, allowing fans to pay via credit card U.S. Department of Agriculturea digital stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar that artists can convert into any currency.
“Our mission at ICE is to actively embrace and support emerging platforms like Audius to ensure that creators, songwriters and publishers benefit from a dynamic and ever-evolving international music ecosystem,” said Tim Rawlinson, Vice President of Licensing at ICE.
“We are delighted to partner with Audius, whose platform not only creates and fosters deep connections between artists and fans, but also opens up new revenue opportunities to ensure sustainable growth for a unique digital ecosystem.”
“Signing an agreement with them ensures that thousands of artists, songwriters and other rights holders around the world can start earning royalties through Audius’ global music marketplace.”
Shamal Ranasinghe, Otis
“ICE is one of the most forward-thinking technology players in the field of royalty collection and distribution,” said Shamal Ranasinghe, chief commercial officer at Audius.
“Signing an agreement with them ensures that thousands of artists, songwriters and other rights holders around the world can start earning royalties through Audius’ global music marketplace.”
Audius was founded in 2018 and its backers include Maverick Founder Guy Oseryof Sound Ventures, SESACof John Josephsonprevious Sony Music Publishing (Sony/ATV boss at the time) Martin Bandier, and artists like The Chainsmokers, Katy Perry, Nas, Steve Aoki, and Jason Derulo.global music business
