Placebo hands over digital catalogue to Kobalt

Kobalt Label Services has entered the digital catalogue market in a deal with UK alt-rock band Placebo.

KLS are calling the agreement “a new kind of deal”, where they will distribute and monetise the band’s first six LPs – as well as associated audio and visual material from the archive – using global digital marketing, project management and maximisation of their YouTube reach and income.

Crucially, the deal marks a new era for Placebo, who had held off from licensing their work to streaming services like Spotify until 2013.Spotify have an “all in” deal with rightsholders: an artist cannot pick and choose whether they want to be included in the free and/or paid models. Now, the band'sdigital rights are managed by KLS and Placebo’s management company Riverman.

KLS UK Managing Director Vincent Clery-Melin said: “We’re incredibly excited to be working with such an iconic band as Placebo, and thrilled to be a part of the team – steered by Riverman Management – in what I’m sure is going to be a landmark campaign for the band’s catalogue.

“I believe this new digitally-focused services approach will help showcase Kobalt’s leadership in the fields of digital monetisation, transparent reporting, digital marketing and access to technology and innovation”.

The deal also means Placebo will have access to KLS’ recently-launched Client Portal, where they can view the group’s reporting and analytics, and the opportunity to develop bespoke apps and digital products using its technology sector.

Alex Weston, Riverman Management added: “Kobalt offers Placebo the worldwide label service expertise we were looking for, to realise the potential of the band’s rich digital catalogue. We were hugely impressed by their proactive and knowledgeable team who understood the band’s objectives and how to create innovative and captivating platforms in areas of their catalogue which previously were not available to exploit”.