Music Rights Awareness Foundation, an apolitical organization founded by ABBA member Björn Ulvaeus and producer Max Martin, has joined forces with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to launch a new platform designed to enhance creators’ understanding of intellectual property (IP) rights and related management practices.
CLIP, which stands for Creators Learn Intellectual Property, is a free-to-use platform that offers curated content from musicians and mentors. It provides creators with insights into managing their IP rights, ensuring proper credit, and securing fair compensation for their work in the digital age.
The platform was launched on Friday (November 17) at WIPO in Geneva, Switzerland, by Music Rights Awareness Foundation Co-Founders Bjorn Ulvaeus and Niclas Molinder, alongside WIPO Director General Daren Tang.
Expected to be available in all six UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) by early 2024, CLIP aims to make its content easily accessible to creators worldwide. With instant access via smartphones, the platform includes videos featuring creators sharing their personal experiences, with an aim to help users make informed decisions.
CLIP was developed by WIPO for Creators, a consortium formed by WIPO and the Music Rights Awareness Foundation with backing from industry stakeholders including Universal Music Group.
The latest initiative addresses the lack of critical information for managing IP rights among creators globally as digital distribution continues to gain momentum. CLIP seeks to bridge this gap and help creators receive proper credit and fair rewards for their work, particularly in the online consumption landscape.
“I know firsthand how important it is for creators to know and manage their IP rights. Today, it is an essential foundation for a successful career in the music industry. At the core of CLIP is a steadfast commitment to creators. Helping them understand the complexities of the creative industries will enable them to maximize the value of their creations,” Ulvaeus said.
“At the core of CLIP is a steadfast commitment to creators. Helping them understand the complexities of the creative industries will enable them to maximize the value of their creations.”
Björn Ulvaeus, Music Rights Awareness Foundation
WIPO Director General Daren Tang added: “Creators draw on their talent and artistic vision to give us music, art, song and dance. Supporting them is critical to the richness of every society and country.”
“We must do what we can to ensure they are recognized and fairly rewarded, so that they can thrive in their work and contributions to society. CLIP will support creators with the knowledge and skills they need to transform their artistic passion into a viable profession.”
“CLIP will support creators with the knowledge and skills they need to transform their artistic passion into a viable profession.”
Daren Tang, WIPO
The first version of CLIP will focus on the music industry, helping users explore the industry’s ecosystem, understand the players involved in bringing a song to market and grasp music creator rights and their management.
“CLIP provides awareness of the various parties involved in the music industry and their functions, as well as creators’ rights and responsibilities. This knowledge is a prerequisite for being recognized and earning fair payment for their work,” Molinder said.
CLIP marks Ulvaeus, Martin and Molinder’s latest music initiative after selling their Sweden-based song data startup, Session, to Salt, a royalty processing firm. Session in August partnered with Believe-owned TuneCore to allow independent artists to share their music from Session Studio directly to digital stores and streaming platforms using TuneCore’s distribution service.
Session Studio has partnerships with SoundCloud, SONA and Brazilian collection society UBC.
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