Merlin

Merlin, the independents’ digital music licensing partner, is thrilled to announce 2023 as “15 Years of Merlin” to celebrate its 15th anniversary.

Twitch and Merlin are celebrating Valentine's Day by raising money for a great cause through a livestreamed charity “relay raid” on February 14 starting at 11:30 am ET. The “Sour Hearts Valentine’s Day Streamtacular” will feature back-to-back performances from artists represented by Merlin members and Twitch streamers. Throughout the event, viewers will be automatically directed to each performance and can donate to MusiCares®, the leading music charity, by clicking the link provided in the livestream. 

Merlin, the independent’s digital music licensing partner, today has announced a dynamic new agreement with STYNGR, a B2B technology platform that provides a turnkey music licensing solution for video games and the metaverse. This partnership provides game developers access to the wide-ranging music released by Merlin members, creates a new revenue source for Merlin members, and generates exposure for independent artists around the world. It also brings the two companies together in a commitment to protecting the value of copyright and ensuring that rightsholders are properly compensated for use of their work.

Merlin, the independent’s digital music licensing partner, and Supernatural, the popular VR fitness app for Meta Quest headsets, today announce an exciting new partnership. The deal will bring the music of independent artists via Merlin members to soundtrack workouts on the virtual service.

Merlin, the independent’s digital music licensing partner, is proud to welcome Adam Wright as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Wright comes to Merlin after three years as director of finance for Creative Artists Agency (CAA) overseeing its brand licensing business in Europe, Middle East, and Africa.

Merlin, the independent’s digital music licensing partner, and China-based short-form video platform Kuaishou have signed a broad new partnership. This arrangement will make Merlin members’ expansive variety of music available across Kuaishou’s products around the world, including Kwai and SnackVideo.

Twitch and Merlin will come together to present a livestreamed charity “relay raid.” The relay raid will feature back-to-back performances from some of today’s hottest independent hip hop artists. Throughout the event, viewers will be automatically directed to each performance and can donate to MusiCares® by clicking the link provided in the livestream. 

Merlin, the independent's digital music licensing partner, has appointed Kyle Elwin in a  newly-established role of People & Culture Lead. Elwin’s hire is the organization’s first of this type. She will report directly to Merlin’s CEO, Jeremy Sirota, to help develop the company’s culture and support team growth. With her leadership, Merlin will continue to foster an environment of creativity and collaboration, two key traits in the fast-paced world of music and technology.

Merlin, the independent’s digital music licensing partner, is expanding global access for independent artists through its broad new partnership with FLO, one of South Korea’s biggest music streaming apps. With over 8.5 million listeners in South Korea on digital music services, Merlin members now have the potential to increase their artists’ fan bases by connecting with more international music lovers than ever. 

Merlin, the independent's digital music licensing partner, extends a heartfelt congratulations to its members who are celebrating their artist wins at the 2022 Grammys. 16 categories saw awards go to artists who work with Merlin members. Merlin applauds all of this year’s nominees and would like to highlight its members’ winners.

Merlin, the independent’s digital music licensing partner, today announced a dynamic new agreement with Twitch, the interactive live streaming service for content spanning gaming, entertainment, sports, music, and more. Through its creator-first culture, Twitch has served as a powerful service for fan engagement and new music discovery. This partnership recognizes the power of independent artists and their impact in the Twitch community, creates revenue earning opportunities for Merlin members and their artists, and leans into Twitch’s increased focus on music-centric programming.

Merlin, the independent’s digital music licensing partner, has announced a multi-year deal with Lickd, the platform helping YouTube content creators legally use the music they love. The partnership injects music from tens of thousands of labels and hundreds of thousands of artists across the globe into the flow of usable content, granting Merlin members access to the creator boom, opening up robust revenue streams, and offering prime marketplace exposure for artists.

Merlin, the independent’s digital music licensing partner, starts the new year announcing its newly-elected Board. The organization’s Board includes representatives from twelve different countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, and Oceania. This diverse expertise will provide strategic guidance to Merlin in better serving its membership as it strikes premium deals with partners such as Apple, Facebook, Peloton, Snap, Spotify, TikTok, YouTube, and more.

Boomplay, Africa’s leading music streaming service and Merlin, the independent’s digital music licensing partner, today announced an expansion of their licensing agreement that will extend the availability of Merlin members’ music catalogue to 47 additional countries in Africa.

Merlin, the independent’s digital music licensing partner, has announced a deal with TREBEL, the maker of a licensed music app with on-demand and offline play sponsored by brand advertisers.

Merlin, the independent’s digital music licensing partner, has announced the hire of Caitie Sarnie as Technical Operations Manager. Sarnie brings extensive experience in the digital and independent music realms, having served in various roles at Redeye Worldwide, a leading worldwide distribution and music services company.

Merlin, the independent’s digital music licensing partner, has extended and enhanced its existing music licensing partnership with JioSaavn, a leading music and audio streaming service for South Asians. 

Feed Media Group, the leading B2B music licensing subscription service, announced today that it has signed a music licensing deal with Merlin, the independent's digital music licensing partner, for its Adaptr product. Adaptr is a subscription-based platform that makes it easy for startups to use music, and this deal provides access to an enormous catalog of licensed music from Merlin member labels, distributors, and their artists.