We’re talking about statements.
We help labels, publishers and media companies to distribute revenue
from the physical and non-physical sales.
Article in Musikwoche (music week) magazine
"Are you familiar with Katharina and Sebastian Steinhardt?"
"We’re talking about statements. Who is entitled to how much money? Katharina and Sebastian deal with this question every day. With their royalty-service agency, they help labels, publishers and media companies to distribute revenue from the physical and non-physical sales, to their artists and authors.
The changes in the music industry provide many opportunities and innovations in the area of statements and present
many big challenges for companies. “Not only is everything faster and easier through digitalization, but companies
are also facing a larger influx of data,” says Sebastian Steinhardt.
“The amount of effort to keep up with the increasingly complex statements and 3rd-party statements is continually growing.
In addition, one must consider the fact that every contract is different. These circumstances require “the search for efficient,
individual solutions, tailored to our clients,” says the 30-year-old.
Together with his wife, Katharina (31), he founded a limited liability company in Hamburg this past July, which will support their business partners in the film and audiobook industries, and especially in the music branch by taking care of administrative tasks.
“We see ourselves as a kind of intermediary between clients and GEMA, as well as GVL,” said the young entrepreneur, outlining the scope of their business.
He is a musician himself, has published two books on the consequences of the digital shift in the entertainment field, and runs his own music label. His wife, Katharina, adds substantial expertise from her time working as a royalty and copyright manager for the music administrator Eva F. Bothe.
“For seven years, I primarily took care of the statements for a online distributor,” she says. Dealing with numbers and complex distribution keys doesn’t scare her. She enjoys it! Her motto is to be reliable and accurate. Because each job is different, she is unable to specify the costs of their services.
“Hiring two employees to take care of such statements would definitely be incomparably more expensive,” says Sebastian. “The demand for our services is out there, without a doubt. We have ultimately set out to reduce the administrative burdens on artists, allowing them to concentrate on their core competences, and on being creative.”
Bettina Greve
Excerpt from an article in Musikwoche Nr. 37, 2013: 58. Print
(Translation: Meggan Holt)
