digitalmusic.org | Digital Music

Move to tackle key issues from metadata to digital supply chain

May 2012: The Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) has partnered with its US counterpart NARM to tackle a series of key business issues and help further drive the UK’s booming digital music sector.

The two associations are to collaborate on a UK arm of NARM’s successful digitalmusic.org initiative – a specialist grouping of digital retailers focused on tackling issues of common interest, such as metadata, the digital supply chain, metrics and sales analysis and product development.

ERA Director General Kim Bayley, who will serve as digitalmusic.org UK’s Director, said, “Despite digital music’s surging growth in the UK, there are still a number of key business issues to be resolved and we are delighted to be able to pool resources and expertise with our colleagues in the US.”

Bill Wilson, VP of Digital Strategy & Business Development for NARM and digitalmusic.org, said, “NARM has had a long relationship with ERA, and the organizations both understand how important it is to work collectively to address the challenges of the digital music industry. Many of the members of both our organizations are global players, and it’s critical we expand our focus to address issues on that scale.”

The first agenda setting meeting of digitalmusic.org UK will take place on May 29 in Central London under the chairmanship of Ben Drury, CEO of 7digital and Deputy Chairman of ERA.

This will be followed by the UK chapter’s first Start Up Academy, aimed at new digital music businesses, which will take place in the autumn.

Said Bayley, “Digitalmusic.org has successfully focused attention on issues that needed to be addressed in the U.S. market, such as the introduction of the On Demand Streaming Chart with Billboard and Nielsen, and while aspects of our markets are different, we face many of the same issues here in the UK.

“Just as we both had a shared interest in making Record Store Day successful in both countries to support independent retail, we see the need to promote the health of the digital music industry, as that is our engine of growth for the future.”

UK digital retailers and music services increased sales by 18.6% in 2011 to £333m, according to official ERA figures.