OpenPlay: Revolutionizing Music Management for Small Independent Labels
This A2IM Indie Spotlight shines on OpenPlay and their efforts to revolutionize music asset management with new pricing tiers and collaborations designed to make hgh quality catalog services accessible to small labels.
OpenPlay is the provider of the music industry’s leading platform for asset and catalog management, bridging the gap between content creation, metadata management, assets, and delivery. Its newest feature, Direct Delivery, allows music companies with an OpenPlay subscription to seamlessly send music and video releases directly to DSPs, at no cost, with no distribution fee.
History of Direct Delivery
OpenPlay launched Direct Delivery in 2023 to help independent labels deliver music to DSPs with as few proprietary data barriers as possible. However, those labels needed to have their own licenses in place either with the DSPs directly or via Merlin. In May 2024, OpenPlay added Stem as their first Direct Delivery provider, allowing labels to use the distributor’s existing licenses with DSPs rather than negotiating their own. Stem also manages statements and payments for select OpenPlay Direct Delivery customers, all for a competitive single-digit rate of net royalties.
New Deal with Too Lost
The next month in June 2024, OpenPlay expanded Direct Delivery via a deal with music distributor Too Lost. Now, OpenPlay users can choose their Direct Delivery provider, with those who select Too Lost receiving free delivery to DSPs, as well as statement and payment management, with their subscription. This is made possible by OpenPlay’s ability to deliver complete, fully validated, market-ready DDEX files that conform to every DSP’s unique style guide, allowing Too Lost to simply pass them to DSPs, hands-free, with no intervention required.
Welcoming Indies
OpenPlay has added new pricing tiers to enable any small label to take advantage of OpenPlay with free Direct Delivery. Independent labels can now have the full catalog management experience that major labels enjoy, at an affordable price point that includes no-cost delivery of their releases to global DSPs.
Meet Us at Indie Week!
About A2IM: A2IM is a 501(c)(6) not-for-profit trade organization headquartered in New York City that exists to support and strengthen the independent recorded music sector. Membership currently includes a broad coalition of more than 700 Independently-owned American music labels. A2IM represents these independently owned small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) interests in the marketplace, in the media, on Capitol Hill, and as part of the global music community. In doing so, it supports a key segment of America’s creative class that represents America’s diverse musical cultural heritage. Billboard Magazine identified the Independent music label sector as 37.32 percent of the music industry’s U.S. recorded music sales market in 2016 based on copyright ownership, making Independent labels collectively the largest music industry sector.
