LIBIANCA, LEWIS THOMPSON AND ISATA KANNEH-MASON SELECT PPL FOR INTERNATIONAL ROYALTY COLLECTIONS

Headquartered in London, 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 collective management organisations (CMOs) in other countries, PPL is also able to collect neighbouring rights royalties for performers and recording rightsholders when their recorded music is played around the world. The trio joins PPL’s impressive roster which includes Becky Hill, Digga D, Ellie Goulding, Emeli Sandé, Gregory Porter, Gotcha, and Trevor Horn.

On selecting PPL for international royalty collections, Libianca, Lewis Thompson and Isata Kanneh-Mason will benefit from PPL’s neighbouring rights expertise, extensive global reach and a 200+ strong team with deep knowledge of and a 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 collective management organisations (CMOs), will help to maximise the returns from the global use of their recordings.

PPL CEO Peter Leathem OBE said: “These signings are further validation of PPL’s international expertise in the collection of royalties on behalf of performers and recording rightsholders. Each one of these individuals is having an incredible impact with their music around the world and PPL is able ensure that they receive maximum value from the enjoyment and success of their recordings worldwide.”

Libianca

A former contestant on The Voice US, the Cameroonian-American singer Libianca rose to fame with the platinum selling hit ‘People’ in 2022. The breakout single currently ranks as the fifth most played Afrobeats track on Spotify to date and helped Libianca to make history in becoming the first Cameroonian to break into the UK top 10. Following a tour across the US supporting Alicia Keys, she now boasts over 20 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

Libianca said: “It has been so exciting to see my music reach audiences around the world. 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.”

Terence Daniel, PPL’s Black Music Relationship Manager, welcomed Libianca to PPL saying: “It has been exciting to watch the meteoric rise in popularity of Afrobeats in the last few years, as both a fan and a music industry professional who is dedicated to supporting music of Black origin. Libianca has become another huge part of this global success story and we will work with her to ensure her global neighbouring rights revenue reflects this success.”

Lewis Thompson

Lewis Thompson has brought his distinctive house sound to collaborations with some of the biggest names in UK pop and dance music, writing and producing hits with artists such as Joel Corry, Little Mix, Becky Hill and David Guetta. Through this work, he has earned eight top 10 hits and accumulated over 5 billion streams, as well as being named ASCAP Songwriter of the Year for 2022.

Lewis Thompson said: “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. 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.”

PPL Dance Music Relationship Manager Roxanne Oak added: “Working with incredible talent like Lewis is such a privilege and I’m excited to watch his career go from strength to strength. He and his team understand the critical role that PPL plays in supporting artists, DJs and producers in the dance music genre and I’ll be working with my colleagues to ensure his neighbouring rights collections are maximised around the world.”

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, whilst 2021 saw the release of Isata’s first duo album, ‘Muse’, with her brother and former BBC Young Musician of the Year, Sheku. Signed to Decca Classics, she was an ECHO Rising Star in 2021/22, performing in many of Europe’s finest halls, and was the recipient of the coveted Leonard Bernstein Award.

Isata Kanneh-Mason said: “I am enormously grateful to be a member of an organisation whose work is of such a huge benefit to musicians in its collection of royalties, not just in the UK, but worldwide. My siblings and I have spent those thousands of hours practising 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.” 

George Prince, PPL’s Classical Relationship Manager, said: “Isata Kanneh-Mason stands out as one of the most exciting young classical musicians in the country and we look forward to working with her to ensure she receives due income for the use of her recorded work, as a soloist and as a chamber musician.”