Armonia, the online music licensing and processing platform, has appointed its first CEO, Virginie Berger, who will take up the post from July 1.
Armonia is an European alliance of national collective societies that aims to make online music licensing and processing simpler and more efficient.
Founded in 2012, it represents more than 13 million works in 33 territories (EU & EFTA), covering the repertoires of SACEM (France), SACEM Luxembourg, SGAE (Spain), SIAE (Italy), SPA (Portugal), SABAM (Belgium), Artisjus (Hungary), SUISA (Switzerland) and AKM (Austria) in Europe, as well as Anglo-American and Latin-American works.
Berger is the founder of DBTH, a Paris-based consultancy for technology and media businesses, specialising in strategy, marketing and business development.
Before setting up DBTH in 2011, she worked for Microsoft, NRJ and Myspace, which she joined as marketing and content director as it first became established in France.
“Part of my mission will be to build support for innovative digital music businesses.”
Virginie Berger
She is the author of a book about digital marketing and monetisation of music online: “Music and Digital Strategies”.
Said Berger: “Armonia has already been successful in agreeing multi-territory licenses with digital service providers and it has created a market-leading technology platform for music processing. This strong foundation is attracting new national collecting societies and mandates from across the globe, making Armonia even more attractive as a single point of contact for Digital Service Providers.
“I look forward to building on this virtuous circle of success so that we enable niche musical cultures to thrive in the global marketplace. Part of my mission will be to build support for innovative digital music businesses by providing a roadmap to licensing, so that it is easier and faster for them to provide a large and diverse repertoire to consumers, while ensuring a fair deal for everyone involved through simplicity and efficiency.”
Jean-Noël Tronc, President of Armonia’s Board and CEO of French collecting society SACEM, adds:
“Virginie’s experience of working for innovative digital businesses will provide her with the insight and experience to help drive Armonia forward by further building its membership and speeding up multi-territory negotiations with Digital Service Providers.”Music Business Worldwide