Ditto Music launches publishing division, saying artists no longer need a 'traditional label'

Music distribution and record label services outfit Ditto Music has added another string to its bow, announcing the launch of a new publishing division.

The company said the addition of Ditto Music Publishing empowers independent artists to create their visions without the need for a traditional label.

Ditto Music Publishing will put artists and songwriters in control, it said, enabling them to collect digital, broadcast and live publishing royalties and receive detailed analytics. It has deals in place covering over 150 territories.

The new division will also pitch artists' music for sync opportunities and feed their best tracks to major broadcasters to use under broadcaster blanket licensing agreements with collection societies. Creators and co-writers will be able to sign up to this as a subscription service.

In addition, Ditto Plus Music Publishing will offer administration and sync services to Ditto Music's label services clients, as well as any other music companies and artists who are interested in collaborating.

The new division will be spearheaded by Tom Weller, who joined Ditto Music in 2020 as managing director of Ditto Music Publishing.

Music exec Tom Weller will lead Ditto Music Publishing 

Weller said the launch is a huge step forward for the company, bringing it closer to its aim of offering a comprehensive suite of services to its clients.

"At Ditto we’re proud of the accessibility and simplicity of our platform, and our publishing offering is a continuation of that - it will help demystify a complicated area of the music business and make it easy and cost effective for artists and songwriters to collect all of the royalties they’re due," he aded.

Ditto Music CEO, Lee Parsons, also spruiked the significance of the launch.

"The launch of Ditto Music Publishing means artists and songwriters will have the global reach of a major publisher while retaining complete control of their rights and their creative vision. Tom and the team will help them capitalise on the power of independence so they can reach new audiences, create life-long fans and, most importantly, make sure they get paid," he said.

Ditto flagged its publishing division is also primed to complement projects such as the recently launched NFT exchange Opulous, and other initiatives which will be announced shortly.