UKPA Members Get AIM Podcast Licence Discount

UK Podcasters Association announced today that they have come to an agreement with AIM the UK-based Association of Independent Music which allows their members preferential access to AIM's podcast licence.

For the first time UK podcasters have unlimited access to full length music tracks from top artists such as The White Stripes, Paul Weller, Bloc Party, Echo and the Bunnymen, Dizzee Rascal, Mylo, Basement Jaxx, Editors, Stereophonics, Coldcut to use in their podcasts.

This gives UK Podcasters a unique opportunity to re-write the rules for music podcasting, opening the door for podcasters to move legitimately into traditional broadcast territory, which will hasten the shift towards media on demand.

The AIM podcast licence covers over 30,000 tracks licensed by the UK independent music industry and includes labels such as V2, XL Recordings, Studio !K7, Cooking Vinyl and Beggars Group.

Unlike other podcast licences, the AIM podcast licence ensures that the labels and the artists will be paid as a result of podcasters using their music, and allows for the use of the full track. Radio stations typically remove music from their podcasts.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication, the underlying technology used by blogs and podcasts) delivered content now accounts for 10% of all internet traffic.

Alison Wenham from AIM, said:

"AIM’s licence allows full tracks to be used in Podcasts, which is what consumers and Podcasters want. In the UKPA, we have a partner who appreciates that music should be properly licensed. There are opportunities for the independent sector and the pioneers of podcasting to use a library of over 30,000 full length tracks (and growing rapidly) from some of the premier independent companies and artists, to come up with imaginative programming and give the fans what they want.”

"This is a step forward for the whole of music podcasting in the UK," said UKPA Chairman Dean Whitbread. "It raises the bar for music podcast programme making. Working with the AIM licence is about being responsible with other people's creative work. UKPA upholds the principle of maintaining the value chain of music, and making sure that the rights of musicians and artists, and the industry which brings their music to us, are respected.

"Podcasting can make a real impact on music sales, but this has to be done in a responsible way. UKPA is committed to working with AIM and other organisations and businesses to develop legal music podcasting in the UK."