Our Platinum Partners
In March 2021, four of the world's leading digital platforms - Facebook, YouTube, Amazon Music, Spotify - joined AIM's two existing Annual Platinum Partners - Merlin and PPL.
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Patrick Clifton, Head of Amazon Music UK, said:
“We're thrilled to partner with AIM and its community in 2021. Supporting the UK indie sector as it continues to develop and thrive is a priority for us. The prospect of closer collaboration and engagement between AIM members and Amazon Music is exciting and we can't wait to continue to build on this partnership.”
Founded in 2004, Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. People use our products to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what’s going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them.
Julia Killer, Head of Music Label Partnerships EMEA, Facebook, said:
“With so many independent artists forming new and meaningful connections with fans on Facebook and Instagram, we’re always looking for new ways to partner with the music industry and support the work of this community on our platforms. As longstanding partners of AIM, we’re thrilled to be levelling up our collaboration with them, and look forward to working together on a host of new initiatives this year.”
Merlin is the digital licensing hub for the world’s independent music sector, with members from more than 60 countries. Merlin offers digital music services and emerging technology companies the means to efficiently license the world’s most important and commercially successful independent music. This enables independent rightsholders to more effectively capitalise on the revenues these services generate, while ensuring that their repertoire is appropriately valued.
Collectively, members represent over 15% of the global recorded music market. Merlin has licensed over 25 key digital services - including Alibaba, Boomplay, Deezer, Facebook, JioSaavn, NetEase, Pandora, SoundCloud, Spotify, Tencent, and YouTube Music - and paid out to date more than $2bn to its members. Merlin is headquartered in London, with offices in New York and Tokyo.
PPL is the UK music industry’s collective management organisation (CMO). We license recorded music when it is played in public or broadcast, ensuring that revenue flows back to our members. These include independent and major record companies, together with performers ranging from emerging artists to festival headliners. In 2018 we collected £246.8 million and distributed money to 105,192 performers and recording rightsholders.
We also collect internationally when music is played in public or broadcast. This is achieved through over 95 greements with CMOs around the world. International revenues are an increasingly important revenue stream for our members – since 2006 we have collected £429.1 million.
Spotify transformed music listening forever when it launched in 2008. Discover, manage and share over 70 million tracks, including more than 2.2 million podcast titles, for free, or upgrade to Spotify Premium to access exclusive features for music including improved sound quality and an on-demand, offline, and ad-free listening experience.
Patrick Clifton, Head of Amazon Music UK, said:
“We're thrilled to partner with AIM and its community in 2021. Supporting the UK indie sector as it continues to develop and thrive is a priority for us. The prospect of closer collaboration and engagement between AIM members and Amazon Music is exciting and we can't wait to continue to build on this partnership.”
Audio and video platform and subscription service.
Dan Chalmers, Head of YouTube Music EMEA, said:
"YouTube Music is proud to support and recognise the vital role that AIM plays within the UK's music ecosystem. In joining the Annual Platinum Partner scheme, we welcome an exchange of new ideas and are committed to providing the independent music community with meaningful and tangible support. Change comes from within, and we embrace our role in empowering the next generation of independent businesses within music.”