The Benefits of Merlin Partnership

Merlin ensures our members have access to best in class deals, while providing significant benefits and licensing efficiencies to our digital partners. Merlin, as the independent’s key music licensing partner, makes more music accessible to our partners and the countless people who use their services. If you are a digital service, a deal with Merlin could unlock up to 15% or more of the global music market. This incredible array of music spans millions of songs from around the world, delivered by independent labels, distributors, artist management companies, and other rightsholders. As a member led, music focused organization, Merlin is unique. We are a partner to digital services, a bridge for our members, and a know-how resource across the music industry.

The Organization

• Merlin is a global organization with a team located in the United Kingdom, United States, Japan, Germany, and Thailand.
• We build meaningful long-term partnerships with digital services to drive value to our partners as well as our members.
• We ensure our partners know what’s important to independents, what independents need to succeed, and how to maximize the value from independents.

The Members

• Merlin’s membership represents the music from hundreds of label and distributor members that represent more than twenty thousand labels, hundreds of thousands of artists, and millions of songs from every country in the world.
• Our members represent the most engaged, enthusiastic, and tech-forward music companies in the world.
• Merlin welcomes new members every month that meet our unique qualifiers.

The Music

• Merlin’s members deliver music in all genres and almost all languages, ranging from hip hop artists to EDM powerhouses, indie rockers to country singers, Afrobeats to Christian music, funk MCs to singer-songwriters, Latin to Indian, Reggaeton to EDM, and everything in between.
• Our members’ artists come from all around the world. A small sample includes: Adele, Arctic Monkeys, Arlo Parks, Armin van Buuren, Beach Bunny, Björk, Bon Iver, Bonobo, Carin Leon, Carly Rae Jepsen, Chance the Rapper, Christine and the Queens, Coolio, Diplo, Father John Misty, Fireboy DML, Flying Lotus, Lecrae, Lomepal, Luan Pereira, Mac DeMarco, Major Lazer, Manu Chao, Mitski, Nirvana, Official Hige Dandism, Patrick Watson, Phoebe Bridgers, Pixies, PVRIS, Queens of the Stone Age, Snoop Dogg, Stella Jang, Sudan Archives, T.I., The Lumineers, Thundercat, and Wet Leg.
• If you don’t have a music pitching process, Merlin has developed a best-in-class pitching form to help surface the right music or artist for any type of service, feature or opportunity.

The Quantitative Value

• Single licensing agreement – you only need a single agreement to license Merlin’s dynamic membership, their artists, and the most diverse music in the world.
• Innovative – there is no one size fits all. The Merlin team has the experience to customize our licensing arrangement based on the nature of each partnership.
• Deal maintenance – you have a single partner to rapidly address new features, new offerings, and new opportunities.
• Single report – you only need to issue a consolidated report to Merlin. 
• Single payment – you only need to make a single payment to Merlin.
• Management – Merlin accounts and pays royalties to our members on the fastest terms possible.

The Qualitative Value

• Access – you have direct access to our members and can rely upon Merlin’s team and tools to help you better understand, connect with, and access our membership.
• Education – we help educate our members about our digital partners by issuing best practices, summary guides, and one-sheeters.
• Engagement – we regularly engage our members in 1-on-1 meetings and hold virtual sessions to help our members understand how to lean into features and marketing opportunities.
• Support – our Member Operations team supports our digital partners and members with delivery, integration, and technical issues.