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Simply Harmonious: The 2024 PRM Recap
- Raui Supnet
- Jan 10
- 11 min read
Updated: Feb 24
“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning, but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.” - Hal Borland
It’s said that each year provides opportunities for new learnings, growth, and development, which could not be truer for the last calendar year. As a collective management organization (CMO) that aims to protect its members’ licensing and intellectual property (IP) rights, and grow the music scene, PRM organized, co-presented, and participated in many events in line with those goals. Externally, the organization gained new partners while maintaining old ones, growing PRM’s reach and network, and further establishing PRM’s place in the industry. The organization also grew internally thanks to new hires and the implementation of its apprenticeship program, allowing PRM to improve its efficiency in accomplishing its duties and giving leeway to engage in more music-scene-related activities. Overall, these developments resulted in a fruitful and music-filled 2024 truly worthy to rave about.
PROTECTING THE LICENSING AND IP RIGHTS OF MEMBERS
Taking place in July at the Social House, Makati, the R.E.D. (Royalty, Engagement, Distribution) Party was PRM’s biggest event of the year and the ultimate manifestation of its belief in giving credit where it’s due. Hosted by DJ Gayle and JC Tevez, the event featured live performances from PRM Licensing Officer, Ryan Orias, PolyEast Records’ JAO, Sony Music Philippines’ Ace Banzuelo, Warner Music Philippines’ Arthur Miguel, and UMG Philippines’ Dionela, providing entertainment to attendees and showcasing a sample of PRM’s wide repertoire of artists. In addition, a media press conference featuring PRM Chairman Atty. Ricardo Blancaflor, IFPI Head of Licensing for Southeast Asia, Dhanesh Jagwani, SoundsRight Chairman and Universal Records Executive Vice President, Ramon Chuaying, performer member and Warner Music artist, Arthur Miguel, and PRM Head of Licensing, Francis Buen, was held to further explain to the public PRM’s role in the music industry. However, the most important part of the evening was the royalty distribution, as record labels and performers publicly received proper remuneration for having their songs used for commercial purposes. Not only was this a monumental moment that recognized the ownership rights of producers and performers of music, but it also signified the first of many distribution activities to come for PRM in the coming years, which will further incentivize music creators to continue their craft.
Read the full R.E.D. Party Recap Here: PRM Breaks Ground for Label and Performer Royalties; What Went Down in PRM R.E.D. Party 2024
To evaluate and further capture PRM’s state as a CMO, PRM held its 2nd Annual General Meeting in August at the B Hotel, Sct. Rallos. The meeting was presided over by Chairman, Atty. Ricardo Blancaflor and Corporate Secretary, Atty. Joanne Ranada, and attended by trade partners from the International Federation of Phonographic Industry (IFPI) namely, Regional Director of Southeast Asia (SEA), Simon Seow, Head of Licensing of SEA, Dhanesh Jagwani, Head of Licensing, and Regional Market Analyst, Johnson Arull; together with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL). The organization’s stakeholders, its partner record labels, also attended the meeting with Sarah Ismail (Warner), Ramon Chuaying (Universal Records), Roslyn Pineda (Sony), Atty. Marivic Benedicto (Star Music), William Lim (Galaxy Records), Jesmon Chua (PolyEast Records), Tiny Corpuz (UMG), and Bernie Refuerzo (SoundsRight) attending on behalf of their respective labels alongside performer members Nyoy Volante, Gino Cruz, and Joshua Buizon of Over October. Through the presentations of IFPI’s Dhanesh Jagwani and Head of Licensing, Francis Buen, PRM’s stakeholders were able to gauge its growth as an organization since its founding in 2021 and view its current trajectory. The event also served as an opportunity to assess its year-to-year performance and strategize how the organization could better guard its members’ rights and serve the music industry as a whole.
Read the full AGM Recap Here: PRM 2nd Annual General Meeting: Continuing the Rhythm in Orchestrating a Harmonious Tomorrow
In solidarity with the championing of IP rights, PRM participated in the first two days of the 2nd Philippine International Copyright Summit (P.I.C.S.) organized by IPOPHL back in October. PRM provided entertainment for the first day of the event with the help of its partner record labels, as PolyEast Records artist, Cedric Escobar, performed during the event’s opening ceremony, and Offshore Music’s Carousel Casualties performed for the evening’s cocktail afterparty. To remain updated on the current landscape of IP, the PRM team also listened to talks about the latest technological advancements in filing for copyright. For the event's second day, focused on Music IP, PRM’s Head of Licensing, Francis Buen, participated in a panel discussion moderated by Atty. Jeremy John C. Bayaras about music copyright alongside Atty. Ivan Viktor Mendez of FILSCAP (Filipino Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, Inc.), David Taejin Lee of KOSCAP (Korean Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers), and Hon. Z’sa May Pe Lim.
PRM also provided entertainment for the Summit’s 2nd day with the help of PolyEast Records’ Ron Macapagal. Lastly, the PRM team witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Philippine COMELEC (Commission on Elections) and IPOPHL, which states that political candidates running for office cannot use the songs of recording artists, such as producers and performers, in campaigns without being permitted by the artists and giving them proper remuneration. Overall, PRM’s participation in the summit not only provided the organization the opportunity to reach more people and gain connections with other organizations within the creative industries, but it also gave the organization a venue to voice how the current state of the Philippine Music Industry and Music Copyright could be improved as a whole while still respecting the rights of music creators.
Read the full P.I.C.S. Recap Here: IPOPHL’s 2nd Philippine International Copyright Summit: Sustaining the Beat in the Fight for Intellectual Property Rights
With the principles of collaboration and cooperation in mind, PRM’s Head of Licensing, Francis Buen, participated in IFPI’s 2024 Asia-Pacific Music Licensing Company (MLC) Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand. The meeting is an annual event dedicated to strengthening the working relationships between MLCs in Southeast Asia and allowing their representatives to exchange valuable information and data with one another. 2024’s meeting tackled various music-licensing-related topics such as public performance licensing, broadcast licensing, and the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the industry. Buen presented to attendees the public performance licensing situation in the Philippines, and PRM’s background, goals, organizational structure, key performance indicators (KPIs), work experiences, and marketing activities, which were well-received. Apart from introducing PRM to other MLCs in the region, Buen’s attendance for the event’s presentations and his interactions with fellow MLC representatives allowed him to exchange best business practices that can be used by PRM to become more efficient and effective in protecting the rights of its members.
Read the full IFPI MLC Meeting Recap Here: IFPI’s 2024 Asia-Pacific Music Licensing Company Meeting: PRM Participates in Reinforcing the Beat of Southeast Asian CMOs
With the music industry and Philippine economy in mind, in November, PRM held its first annual music-for-business workshop entitled “MP3 2024: Music Protection, Promotion, Partnership”, co-presented by the IPOPHL - Bureau of Copyright and Related Rights (BCRR). Hosted by PRM Marketing and Admin Apprentice, Raui Supnet, the event was attended by representatives of companies from various industries in the Philippines and featured talks from industry experts on various music-for-business topics, as well as live music performances. Musika Pilipinas Managing Staffer, Lyon Lopez, tackled the economic value of the Philippine Music Industry, IPOPHL-BCRR's Assistant Chief of the Accreditation and Standards Division, Atty. Exequiel “Chuck” Valerio, talked about IP in music, while HOMONYM CEO, Mike Constantino, gave a presentation on sonic branding. Additionally, Hazel Exconde, AVP - Systems Development of New Era Cap Philippines, went over the importance of music to a business, and PRM Head of Licensing, Francis Buen, delved into media trends, music usage in trade, and the blueprint of music. Offshore Music recording artist, Pixie Labrador, and PRM Licensing Officer, Ryan Orias, livened the proceedings and provided entertainment with their sincere and soulful music. As a whole, the workshop championed both the IP rights of music creators and the general goal of strengthening the local Philippine economy by providing a platform for businesses to learn how to best use music for commercial purposes while still giving its producers and performers what they are due. The event signified the first of many music-for-business workshops to come for PRM and the organization’s continued commitment to protecting the licensing and royalty rights of producers and performers.
Read the full MP3 2024 Recap Here: PRM's MP3 2024: A Harmonious Afternoon Centered on Music-for-Business and Strengthening the Music Industry
In the spirit of continuous learning and self-improvement, PRM Assistant Licensing Manager, Candice Lima-Del Rosario, and Licensing Officer, Aaron Calderon participated in the 3rd Advanced Intellectual Property Licensing Course by IPOPHL and the Licensing Executive Society of the Philippines (LESP) in late November. The 4-day course aimed to equip participants with the knowledge on how to manage Intellectual Property rights in their respective fields and throughout its duration, attendees learned about the fundamentals of IP Licensing and commercialization, how to handle licensing agreements, and emerging IP issues in the Philippines. By the end of the course, Lima-Del Rosario and Calderon left with refreshed knowledge, sharpened tools, and reinvigorated spirits to better protect the IP rights of PRM’s members and their songs. Their attendance not only signifies PRM’s commitment to serve its members as best as it can, but also shows the importance of refreshing one’s licensing fundamentals and staying up to date with the latest licensing developments.
Read the full IPOPHL-LESP Advanced IP Licensing Course Recap Here: PRM @ The 3rd Advance Intellectual Property Licensing Course: Sharpening One’s Tools to Maintain the Beat in the Fight for IP Rights
In line with PRM’s goal of empowering producers and performers while protecting their rights, PRM organized its “roadshows” wherein the team would connect with PRM’s partner record labels and educate their producers and performers about their rights as music creators and the role PRM plays in protecting them. For 2024, PRM conducted 3 roadshows, with the first being held in January for Sony Music Philippines, the second in February for Warner Music Philippines, and the third in September for PolyEast Records. At the end of all the roadshows, not only did the artists leave with newfound knowledge about their rights, but they also became aware of PRM’s openness to help them with whatever problems or concerns they may have. In addition, the roadshows further strengthened the connections between PRM and its record label partners, keeping the door open for more collaborations in the future.
GROWING THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
During the 3rd week of October, PRM Head of Licensing, Francis Buen, and Assistant Licensing Manager, Candice Lima-Del Rosario, represented PRM at Musika Pilipinas’ 1st Roundtable Discussion on its road map for sustainable development in the music industry, which falls in line with PRM’s advocacy as CMO. Held at Novotel Manila Araneta City, the event was attended by industry experts and featured many intelligent discussions on important and timely concerns and problems related to the music scene, such as constraints on music creation in the Philippines, whether Filipino music heritage can help safeguard IP, and how the music industry can take advantage of the latest digital music technologies to help it grow and protect the rights of music creators, while also being wary of how other technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) could harm them. PRM’s participation and the event as a whole represented the organization’s openness to work with other organizations to tackle contemporary issues in the music scene and contribute to planning out a path for the Philippine Music Industry that will simultaneously make it a competitive cultural and socioeconomic sector of the country while maintaining respect for the rights of its creators.
Read the full Musika Pilipinas Roundtable Discussion Recap Here: The 1st Musika Pilipinas Roundtable Discussion: The Roadmap To A Harmonious And Dynamic Future For The Philippine Music Industry
During the first week of December, PRM, as an event partner, attended the 37th Awit Awards, organized by the Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI). Apart from enjoying the historic night’s festivities, the PRM team provided loot bags to attendees, documented the evening’s happenings, and conducted interviews with various artists who took part in the awarding ceremony. PRM stood alongside PARI in championing the growth of the music industry by celebrating the past, present, and future of Original Pilipino Music (OPM) and recognizing the great work done and incredible achievements of artists and industry professionals from 2023 to 2024.
Read the full 37th Awit Awards Recap Here: The 37th Awit Awards: An Upbeat Celebration of OPM and the Philippine Music Industry’s Past, Present, and Future
Throughout 2024, PRM’s marketing arm worked to promote, document, and cover the gigs/concerts of local artists, big and small, through creating writeups, reels, recap videos, and visual publication materials on PRM’s website and social media pages. In April, PRM covered Lola Amour and Warner Music Philippines’ “Lola Amour: The Album Concert”, which was followed by Warner Music Philippines’ “We Play Here” event in September at UP Diliman. PRM then covered the first of many PolyEast Records events, with SUYEN’s birthday bash gig in September. During the first week of October, PRM attended the “Chasing Sunsets: the EP Tour” of PolyEast Records artist, Aaron Rebustes, and in the following week, the “Pelikula” single launch party of Aaron’s PolyEast Records labelmate, Cedric Escobar. From September to October, PRM also made content for PolyEast Records and filtered music’s “Rak and Rap” series. In October, PRM also covered the two-in-one birthday gig and music video launch of PolyRecords artist, Gloryen, and the “Ating Mundo” single launch of her labelmate, Satellite Daydream. At the start of November, PRM documented the “Method Adaptor” album launch of Eraserheads frontman, founder of Offshore Music, and OPM legend, Ely Buendia. At the end of November, PRM went to the “juan karlos LIVE” concert of Universal Music Group (UMG) recording artist and OPM superstar, Juan Karlos (JK) Labajo. Lastly, in December, PRM covered the “Girl, You’re on My Mind” single launch of Sony Music Philippines artist, Ace Banzuelo. PRM’s coverage of these events shows the organization’s drive to promote local music and encourage the public to to support and stay up to date with the musical endeavors of all artists under its partner record labels.
Read the Gig/Concert Recaps Here:
TOWARD THE FUTURE…
With every event organized, activity executed, and gig attended, the PRM team took away valuable learnings and unforgettable experiences that helped them improve at their jobs and reinforced the importance of their work. As a whole, 2024 was a year full of firsts and upward growth for the organization, serving as a jumping pad for an even bigger 2025.
Though PRM takes pride in its 2024, the fight to grow the music industry and protect the IP rights of music creators never stops. Regardless of the year, it will continue to be fought in PRM’s day-to-day operations as a CMO, because protecting music was, is, and will always be our passion.
Support the music industry! For Philippine Music News updates, visit www.prm.com.ph. For inquiries, email info@prm.com.ph
Written by Raui Supnet
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