Indie music available to podcasts

Podcasting has presented new opportunities for broadcasters

Songs by acts signed to UK indie record labels are to be made available to podcasters on a trial basis.

The Association of Independent Music is selling six-month worldwide licence deals for its members' music to be used on download radio programmes.

Podcasters will buy licences to access a fixed list of labels' music. Commercial broadcasters will pay an additional percentage of their revenue.

Acts signed to UK indie labels include Franz Ferdinand and The Prodigy.

Previously, few podcasters were able to get licences to use copyrighted material, forcing them to either use copyright-free songs or remove all music from podcasts.

Successful acts

AIM chairman and chief executive Alison Wenham said podcasters who took up the temporary licences would be able to work "without the fear of operating illegally".

Hit act The Killers are signed to a UK indie label

She said: "In the absence of an industry wide scheme, AIM has moved to fill the current void, and has created attractive licensing conditions for the use of music from the independent sector of the UK.

"We believe there will be huge global demand for the AIM podcast licence."

The full list of music on offer will be made available on the AIM website as labels sign up to it.

Other acts signed to AIM's 900 member labels who might be part of the deal include Bloc Party, Stereophonics, The White Stripes, The Strokes, Basement Jaxx, Paul Weller and Arctic Monkeys.

Restrictions will be placed on licencees with regard to the amount and manner of use of the agreed music.

An AIM spokesman said the body was determined not to "create a mechanism to enable the creation of free or ultra-cheap compilation albums".

Martin Goldschmidt is managing director of Cooking Vinyl, whose artists include Richard Thompson and Billy Bragg.

He said: "I see podcasting and subscription services as playing a big role in where the music consumer wants to go."