Universal Music Publishing Group Chairman and CEO Jody Gerson
Universal Music Group has become the first corporate Sponsor of WIPO for Creators, an initiative that aims to ensure that creators around the world are recognized and fairly rewarded for their work.
The initiative aims to achieve this by increasing knowledge and awareness of creators’ intellectual property (IP) rights.
WIPO for Creators is a public-private partnership supporting IP rights for creators across the arts, including music, literature, audiovisual creation, and the dramatic and visual arts.
It was launched by WIPO and the Sweden-based Music Rights Awareness Foundation.
As a Sponsor, UMG says that it will help fund selected WIPO for Creators deliverables in development, in particular the Creators Platform, an online rights awareness platform to support creators across the arts through interactive “microlearning” videos, featuring high-profile creators and regularly updated information.
The texts and videos will be designed to quickly provide answers to creators’ questions as they arise in real-time, often during the creative process, throughout their career.
WIPO Director General Daren Tang, said: “It is a great pleasure to welcome UMG to the WIPO for Creators family and to see a music company of UMG’s stature take a leading role in our efforts to promote awareness of IP rights among creators around the world.”
“We look forward to working with UMG on involving other major players to make sure the benefits of WIPO for Creators are felt near and far.”
Daren Tang, WIPO
Added Tang: “The benefits of this partnership will be far-reaching and critical, especially to creators in developing countries where artistic talent abounds.
“We look forward to working with UMG on involving other major players to make sure the benefits of WIPO for Creators are felt near and far.”
“Sir Lucian and Jody Gerson are music people who have a deep understanding of creators and what makes them tick.”
Björn Ulvaeus, ABBA
Björn Ulvaeus of ABBA and the Music Rights Awareness Foundation, said: “It’s really uplifting and hope-inspiring that UMG has decided to support the important work that WIPO for Creators is going to do.
“Sir Lucian and Jody Gerson are music people who have a deep understanding of creators and what makes them tick.
“I know that from personal experience, so knowing that this global music company is behind this is such great news. It will give impetus to the project and hopefully make other players of the industry give as generously as UMG has.”
“We are very pleased to join with Björn and all of our friends at Music Rights Awareness and WIPO to support WIPO for Creators’ important work.”
UMG Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge said: “Creators – songwriters, recording artists, or those who express themselves through other forms of art – are at the core of everything we do at UMG.
“Creators have the potential to move culture on a global scale through the power of their talent. No one knows this better than Björn; he has dedicated his life to creating iconic, genre-defining music and at the same time being a tireless advocate for songwriters.
“We are very pleased to join with Björn and all of our friends at Music Rights Awareness and WIPO to support WIPO for Creators’ important work.”
“As always, I encourage everyone, especially the music and arts communities, to stand with us in safeguarding creators and their IP rights.”
Universal Music Publishing Group Chairman and CEO Jody Gerson, added: “UMPG fights every day to ensure that creators are properly recognized and fairly compensated for their work
“. In partnering with Music Rights Awareness Foundation and WIPO as part of WIPO for Creators, we continue our mission of protecting songwriters while also increasing transparency around the rights process.
“As always, I encourage everyone, especially the music and arts communities, to stand with us in safeguarding creators and their IP rights.”
UMG announced its first ever financial results as a publicly-traded entity yesterday (October 27), for the three months to end of September (Q3).
Across all of its divisions (including recorded music, publishing and more) the world’s biggest music rightsholder posted revenues in the three months to end of September (Q3) of €2.153 billion.Music Business Worldwide
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