Photo Credit: PPL
PPL has announced it has signed several new artists for international royalty collections. They include Afrobeats star Libianca; producer and songwriter Lewis Thompson; and Royal Philharmonic artist in residence Isata Kanneh-Mason.
PPL licenses recorded music when it is played in public or broadcast on the radio or TV in the UK and then distributes the fees to the performers and recording rightsholders it represents. Through a network of international agreements with other collective management organizations (CMOs) in other countries, PPL is also able to collect neighboring rights royalties for performers and recording rightsholders when their recorded music is played around the world.
Libianca, Lewis Thompson, and Isata Kanneh-Mason join PPL’s impressive roster which includes Becky Hill, Digga D, Ellie Goulding, Emeli Sandé, Gregory Porter, Gotcha, and Trevor Horn.
This trio will benefit from PPL’s neighboring rights expertise, extensive global reach and a 200+ song team with a deep knowledge and passion for music. The company’s best in class data and technology systems, focused approach to metadata management, and growing international network of 109 agreements with CMOs will help maximize the returns from the global use of their recordings.
In 2022, PPL collected £272.6M ($288.9M) across all of its revenue streams, marking the highest level of revenue in the company’s 89-year history. It distributed money to more than 165,000 performers and recording rightsholders last year.
“These signings are further validation of PPL’s international expertise in the collection of royalties on behalf of performers and recording rightsholders,” adds PPL CEO Peter Leathem OBE. “Each one of these individuals is having an incredible impact with their music around the world and PPL is able to ensure t hat they receive maximum value from the enjoyment and success of their recordings worldwide.”
Libianca
Cameroonian-American singer Libianca is a former contestant on The Voice US and rose to fame with her hit, “People” in 2022. The breakout single currently ranks as the fifth most-played Afrobeats track on Spotify. Following a tour across the US in support of Alicia Keys, she now boasts over 20 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
“It has been so exciting to see my music reach audiences around the world,” Libianca adds. “With its knowledge of and passion for music, PPL’s team is the right partner for me to take care of collecting my royalties behind the scenes so I can keep focusing on doing what I love most—making music and performing to fans the world over.”
Lewis Thompson
Lewis Thompson brings his distinctive house sound to collaborations with some of the biggest names in UK pop and dance music. He has written and produced hits with artists including Joel Corry, Little Mix, Becky Hill, and David Guetta. Through his work he’s earned eight Top 10 hits and accumulated over five billion streams—leading to him being named ASCAP Songwriter of the Year for 2022.
“PPL does amazing work to make sure artists and producers like me are paid when our music is used in different ways around the world,” Lewis Thompson adds about the deal. “Without its efforts, so much radio airplay and playlisting success would go unrewarded—PPL enables me and so many other producers to make a living and a successful career out of what I create in the studio.”
Isata Kanneh-Mason
Having recently made her solo Proms debut, pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason is one of the most in-demand classical musicians in the country. Her 2019 album, Romance topped the UK Official Specialist Classical Chart. In 2021, she released her first duo album Muse with her brother Sheku. Signed to Decca Classics, she was an ECHO Rising Star in 2021/22 and was the recipient of the coveted Leonard Bernstein Award.
“I am enormously grateful to be a member of an organization whose work is of such a huge benefit to musicians in its collection of royalties, not just in the UK, but worldwide,” adds Isata Kanneh-Mason. “My siblings and I have spent those thousands of hours practicing our instruments over the years and at a time when work isn’t always certain for so many—particularly classical musicians—it’s fantastic to have that support from PPL.”