By: Tabassum Siddiqui
Steve Clark’s resounding enthusiasm for music is immediately apparent when you speak with him, and comes as no surprise, given the years he has dedicated to building a career in the music industry. After more than two decades with a major publisher, culminating in running their global operations, Clark is now the London-based global chief operating officer for publishing company Round Hill Music, one of the largest independent music rights holders in the world.
Clark studied music at Liverpool University before going to work in the late 1980s as a music editor for sheet music company International Music Publications, and then becoming their head of production, copyright, and licensing. He then joined Warner Chappell (the global music publishing arm of Warner Music Group) in 1998, overseeing all copyright and royalty administration in Europe, and later handled their global contracts, copyright, royalty system and IT as executive VP of global operations.
“I worked for Warner Chappell for 21 years, eventually becoming global head of operations in 2008,” Clark says. “I was based in London but travelling all around the world. It was during the time when the industry moved from the traditional analogue model to the adoption of digital, with downloads, iTunes, and YouTube coming to the fore, and then the streaming services as well,” he adds.
“Part of the consolidation at Warner Chappell that I oversaw at the global level was to put in place business operations that took that transition into consideration, making sure we had the systems and technology needed to manage things on a multi-territory basis.”
Clark led a five-year overhaul of Warner Chappell’s publishing systems that saw the company build a scalable cloud based end-to-end publishing system that is still in use today that allows songwriters and composers to view statements and other metrics online and via mobile apps.
“It allowed the company to transform itself to be relevant in the digital world in which we’re now playing. It wasn’t just dealing with the back-office functions, copyright registration, interfacing with the collection agencies around the world, but also working directly with the digital services – which 20 years ago weren’t even around,” Clark points out.
“It was all about dealing with volumes of data while at the same time making sure we had the transparency through an online portal (in 17 languages, including Chinese and Korean) to be able to provide exceptional services to the writers that we represented all around the world.”
In 2020, Clark brought his many years of experience in the global music publishing sector to Round Hill Music, which sees him regularly travelling between his home base of London and the company’s other offices in New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville.
Founded in 2010, Round Hill includes a music publishing division, sync and royalty administration, music production library, record label and label services division, and a Nashville songwriter services group. Their roster cuts across genres and eras, from artists and songwriters such as Rob Thomas, Craig David, and Toro Y Moi to Canadians Art d’Ecco, DJ Shub, and many more.
“Josh Gruss, the owner and CEO, approached me to join Round Hill because of my multi-territory and rights management experience, to help them scale up,” Clark explains.
“My job has been to re-engineer the company for growth, while making sure we do right by the rights that we administer as a music publisher. That includes liaising directly with the CMOs who we rely on for data exchange in different territories, and for them to be able to administer on our behalf.”
That work involves building relationships with rights agencies all over the world, including Round Hill’s return to CMRRA as a client last year.
“I felt we would be better placed on behalf of the writers we represent if we had a Canadian organization representing us in Canada when it comes to the digital services,” Clark says. “We’ve been very pleased with the results. CMRRA understands how things work from a rights perspective in Canada and are well-connected with the licensees, enabling them to provide optimal licensing and administration of our repertoire. The proof is in the pudding in how they operate – they’re a great partner for us in this territory.
“I’m personally a big believer in collective rights management, and that’s where organizations like CMRRA really come to the fore,” Clark adds.
“Over the past 10 to 15 years, the industry has become incredibly data-driven – and that’s where we need to rely on tech to do the heavy lifting in terms of the sheer volume of transactions, but also where we need the likes of CMRRA to connect the dots between the repertoire that’s controlled by the artists and writers involved, right down to the end user who streams something, or the customers who license a piece of music.”
As a trained musician (who still plays trombone and piano) and veteran industry leader, Clark recognizes the importance of ensuring artists and songwriters understand their publishing rights – and how Round Hill and its partners can help them maximize their royalty income and ensure timely and accurate collection.
“The music industry, like anything in the creative arts, is a people business. And I think the important thing for any writer is to make sure that they feel comfortable with the publisher that they’re signing with, because that publisher then represents their creativity. The songs are almost like their children – we are custodians of something very precious to them,” Clark says.
“It’s important for a creator to feel that their publisher understands what they’re doing, and that they’re going to take care of the critically important work of protecting their rights and ensuring they’re paid fairly,” he adds.
“We’re a real connector for them in that sense, with all the different touch points between ourselves, the broadcasters, the collective organizations and agencies like CMRRA – which effects both the licensing and the collection of royalties – all working together in partnership.”
Having held multiple roles in the industry through several eras of change, Clark is quick to pinpoint both the challenges and opportunities facing music publishing and the wider sector.
“I’m an optimist by nature, and I think there are more opportunities than challenges, actually,” he notes. “Challenge-wise, there’s been a dramatic increase in the volume of data we’re dealing with – each of those music usages has a fraction of income attached, so it’s become even more important now to have business processes in place to manage that and make sure that the right people are being paid properly and in a timely manner.
“And when we look at the opportunities, what’s fantastic is that there is more music being consumed by the public than maybe ever before – everybody wants more of our product, which is just brilliant for both creators and consumers. Before, music had to be available on a CD, embedded in a film or played on the radio for people to enjoy – but now, you can listen to whatever you want whenever you want; just think about everything from Peloton to gaming as means of consuming and exploring new music. And it means that the music creators are being paid for the music they’ve written as it’s being consumed.”
Through a lifetime spent working in music and sitting on the U.K. boards of the Music Publishers’ Association and the International Confederation of Music Publishers, Clark sees learning – both his own as an industry leader and also for those building their careers as creators or on the business side – as imperative to creativity and innovation within such a dynamic, ever-changing field.
“My leadership style is inclusive – it’s not about me going into different territories or departments across the company and just barking orders,” Clark says. “It’s about bringing people together in discussion and nurturing staff. One of the things that’s important to me is taking staff on a career journey – I encourage them to collaborate, break down silos, and share responsibility, and part of that is education across business areas.
“Similarly, it’s important to educate not just our own writers and creators about what we do, but also investors in our company and in the music space so that they can understand more about how rights management works. All of that motivates me to do the right thing for the writers and artists we represent while educating others working within our company and on a wider stage,” he adds.
“Nothing is more fun than working in music and getting paid for the privilege. It inspires me every day.”
To learn more about Round Hill Music, visit www.roundhillmusic.com.
