NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Digitial music company Rhapsody has tapped The Harry Fox Agency (HFA) to handle rights management support for its international expansion to Germany and the UK, as well as in the U.S.
Via their Slingshot service, HFA will provide end-to-end licensing support, including license issuance and administration, data management, royalty calculations and publisher payments for its U.S.-based offering. As well, HFA will adminstrate Rhapsody's direct licensing agreements with international collection societies, including PRS, GEMA, IMPEL and CELAS.
According to HFA, Digital Data Exchange (DDEX) data standards will help to facilitate foreign society payments to publishers and songwriters. HFA was a founding member of DDEX and helped to establish the the consortium as an international standard.
Rhapsody is a subscription-based streaming music service that was formerly part of RealNetworks but has since been re-launched as a stand-alone company. While initially available only in the U.S., the company announced in January 2012 that through the acqusition of Napster, they were planning to expand into some international markets, including the U.K., and Germany – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
