London, England – September 26, 2006 – As new media business models and electronic distribution continue to rapidly evolve worldwide, it is vital to have a team of qualified professionals verify the accuracy of the accounting reports rendered by digital service providers to owners of music copyrights. As the number of new revenue streams and distribution providers continue to grow, the volume of data reported has reached unprecedented levels, making the need to review accounting reports from digital service providers increasingly more important.
Building on a two year relationship to blend the traditional procedures of a music royalty exam with a set of review procedures related to the servers that control, count, and identify content to be reported from digital service providers in the U.S., PA Consulting Group and Royalty Review Council (RRC) have agreed to expand their royalty exam capabilities to include European digital music service providers.
Through their cooperative efforts and combined expertise, PA and the RRC have established themselves as the leading U.S. provider of services to verify royalty payments from digital service providers. PA and the RRC have conducted a number of exams of the industry’s leading digital music service providers and mobile content distributors on behalf of major record labels, independent record labels, and major music publishers. These reviews not only expose potential underpayments, but they also uncover potential problems in the ability of a digital service provider to be compliant with the distribution terms set forth in an agreement.
Royalty Review Council pioneered the royalty exam process to cover most digital transmissions for subscription and non-subscription services, including permanent downloads, tethered downloads, streams, webcast, and pay-per-play businesses through channels of distribution or purchase such as kiosks, computers, TV set top boxes, and wireless devices.
“We chose to work with PA because a few years ago we determined that RRC, as a firm dedicated to royalty accounting and royalty examinations, needed a qualified business partner with a skilled IT team with the experience to review servers and who possessed the technical expertise necessary to provide an accurate and comprehensive system review as related to the digital transmission of creative content,” said Keith Bernstein, CEO of RRC. “Together, RRC and PA provide a unique service that benefits the owners of sound recordings and musical compositions during a time of complex reporting and sophisticated systems to distribute approved content.”
“In working with RRC for the last 2 years, it is clear that Keith and his team are the leading authority in music royalty accounting complexities, including evolving new media distribution models and the related copyright legislation. Their unique capability and professionalism complements PA’s strong global IT presence in providing a world-class service to the music labels. This is a win-win for all parties involved.” stated Mike Hunter, a member of PA’s Management Group.
About PA Consulting Group
PA Consulting Group is a leading management, systems and technology consulting firm. Operating worldwide in more than 35 countries, PA draws on the knowledge and experience of 3,000 people, whose skills extend from the initial generation of ideas, insights and solutions all the way through to detailed implementation. This benefits-driven approach is founded on our strength in innovation, our responsiveness to our clients’ needs, and our unyielding focus on delivery. All of our work and support is based on deep sector insight and expertise, and we work across the private and public sectors, with particular strengths in financial services, energy, life sciences & healthcare, government & public services, manufacturing and telecommunications.
www.paconsulting.com
About Royalty Review Council
Royalty Review Council is an independent royalty administration organization founded in 1999 that provides a complete outsource music royalty department solution for any company engaged in the licensed distribution or transmission of creative works. In addition, RRC specializes in performing worldwide royalty compliance examinations, including examinations of digital music service providers to determine the amount of unreported and/or underreported earnings generated from the use of creative works (e.g. music copyrights, record masters, films, merchandise licenses…). With an in-depth understanding of music royalties and copyrights, sophisticated royalty systems, and staff with extensive experience, Royalty Review Council is uniquely positioned to provide the music royalty services that they offer.
www.royaltycouncil.com
For Additional Information:
Devon Jaffier
212.973.5939
devon.jaffier@paconsulting.com
Jane Ferratt
818.788.8380
jferratt@royaltycouncil.com