The All About Music Conference in Mumbai is all set to be the staging ground for the launch of the new digital licensing platform – ‘Fairplay’. A bold foray into the hitherto largely unexplored space of end-to-end online licensing of music, Fairplay will be a veritable digital marketplace catering to all types of music licensing demands.
The platform aims to create a ripple in the music licensing ecosystem by simplifying the licensing process and substantially reducing transaction time and effort. The launch of the Platform at the AAM Conference will provide the first glimpses of this revolutionary new platform and will mark the commencement of closed-beta operations in preparation for the final roll-out in a few months.
Simply put, Fairplay is a digital marketplace for all categories of owners of musical content – from artists, composers and songwriters, to record labels, publishers and distributors. The platform will not only enable easy licensing and music clearances, but also serve as a repository of content, carefully curated and catalogued by rights-holders in collaboration with the platform, to meet the needs of wide range of end users.
Ravdeep Anand, Founder and CEO of Fairplay, will lead day-to-day operations of the platform. He comes with a rich body of experience, having set up and run a successful music agency involved in various marketing services, including merchandise for music industry giants like Marshmello, Skrillex, Tiesto, DJ Snake, Deadmau5 and more. He has also worked extensively with numerous independent artists and has always had his ear to the ground. Fairplay, he believes, is the next big step in the evolution of the music business and will become one of the foundational elements for the new face of the music industry in the 21st century. He said, “The aim is to have a plethora of musical offerings capable of catering to the myriad requirements of customers, from films to advertising to live events to streaming. Whether you’re looking for something specific or just casually window shopping for future projects – we’ll have you covered!”. He also added, “At the heart of Fairplay is our desire to create an ecosystem that’s accessible, easy and equal to all. Fairplay quite literally for us translates to Fair Pay – not just for the customer looking to pay fair price for a music licence, but for the rights holder and artist too.”
Priyanka Khimani, who has been involved with Fairplay from the ground floor as a legal and strategic advisor and investor, has over a decade of experience in the global and Indian music industry and is a much-respected and acclaimed authority in the business. She is one of the top lawyers in the space, having represented and advised clients across a broad spectrum in the music industry – from music creators and performers, to labels, distributors, social media platforms and streaming services. Talking about Fairplay, she said, “Licensing of music copyright is arguably one of the most complex activities in music markets across the world. Fairplay brings together both sides and converts a complex, multi-layered process into an accessible and easy shopping experience. It has been my privilege to be able to shepherd the creation of this marketplace.”
Fairplay hopes to enhance the value of music content by enabling creators to more effectively and efficiently monetise their music. The aim is to demystify and simplify the licensing process and take it completely online, until eventually music licensing becomes as easy and commonplace as buying a phone online!
