Welcome to #shoutout where we find and interview members of the music industry, entrepreneurs and tastemakers – all bringing you a glimpse of their expertise to inform, inspire, educate and help.
Introducing musician, music manager and multi-lingual entrepreneur Anna Fahey, who – as she will explain – is Head of Artist Relations with new UK startup Soundbox Plays, whose aim is to simplify all that is Neighbouring Rights on one simple platform. What’s Neighbouring Rights you may ask? It’s cash… for you. Read on.
Interview
- Who are you? (name and role please)
I’m Anna Fahey, head of artist relations for Soundbox Plays here in the UK! - Where are you based?
Sutton. - How did you get into the music industry?
I played double bass professionally touring with orchestras around Europe, played in orchestras for pop acts and was a member of the London Philharmonic Choir. I was also a founding member of a startup in the services industry. I decided that it was time to put my passion and experience together and joined Soundbox Plays in 2021. - Tell us about what it is you do? (elevator pitch)
Soundbox Plays is a company that works in the field of Neighbouring Rights, if you are not familiar with the term Neighbouring Rights, then in short, these are royalties that you are entitled to as a performer or producer (anyone who has provided relevant audible content to a track) when your music has been broadcasted anywhere, including licensed radio plays, TV or even when your music has ever been played in a public place like a coffee shop!
We primarily want to focus on collecting royalties for artists, as most artists are not aware that they are entitled to these royalties as performers and unfortunately a lot of this income is left uncollected, this is mainly because of the lack of resources available for artists to effectively do it. Many artists know about publishing royalties, but we’ve learned that not many are that well informed about neighbouring rights and how they differ. - Who does this help and how?
Our goal is to help artists learn about what they are actually entitled to as a performer, and offer a bit of transparency around where their music is being played, while at the same time making it easy for them to get access to these royalties. - What advice would you give someone starting in the music industry?
Find a mentor who has made it in the industry and learn from ethical business people. Just like you make a strategy for your art, a strategy for your finances is important too. Always ask how can you make the best returns from the time and money you invest. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, enjoy the process and remember nothing is either good nor bad but thinking makes it so. (Shakespeare) - Who would be your most played artist of all time?
Bach, Aydin Esen and David Bowie (can’t choose sorry)! - What’s next for Soundbox?
We are on a mission to work with every CMO (Collection Management Agency) globally, until all artists know and get what they are entitled to! We’re also getting ready to launch our app, and we’re so excited about it. We really think it’s going to change the way artists manage their royalties across the globe, so stay tuned.
