International Federation of the Phonographic Industry

International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is at the center of a globally coordinated network of different national organizations.

We have affiliated organizations in 57 countries, including national groups that represent their own member record companies in each individual country, and music licensing companies – bodies that administer rights and collect revenues for the public performance of recorded music.

IFPI has a Secretariat currently situated in London, plus offices in Brussels, Hong Kong, Miami and a representative office in Beijing. With these specialist teams covering the regions of Europe, Latin America and Asia, in addition to our global coverage, IFPI is able to deploy our expertise in a flexible way wherever our help is needed.

It is this combination of international scale and local knowledge that creates value for our members across the world.

IFPI works on a day to day basis with our member record companies. We have a range of decision-making bodies, covering areas from legal strategy to market research, performance rights to communications.

Core functions

Insight and analysis

IFPI's Insight and Analysis team works closely with member companies, National Groups, and industry partners to provide research and insight into patterns and methods of music consumption worldwide. This includes study of the recorded music market, developments in both licensed and unlicensed consumption, and the changing habits of music listeners.

As the music industry drives the transition from physical to digital consumption, the Insight and Analysis department seeks to understand the changing landscape as it is found globally, within different countries, and across the enormous variety of music consumers.

The team is responsible for the analysis contained within IFPI’s authoritative Global Music Report, the definitive source of recorded music market data.

Legal Policy & Litigation

The legal policy and litigation teams coordinate our work for effective legal protection in all music markets and drive a global litigation strategy designed to disrupt and close down pirate services.

The legal policy team campaigns to secure better rights in those markets worldwide which are not up to international best practice. This includes worldwide recognition of full performance rights and the minimum 70-year term of protection for recorded music. It also informs IFPI’s voice in the copyright debate, promoting the role of copyright in supporting investment in music and licensing of digital music services.

The litigation team supports criminal prosecutions by public authorities, brings civil cases against businesses that facilitate infringement and works with intermediaries, such as ISPs and search engines, to tackle infringing sites and reduce piracy.

Performance rights

The IFPI global performance rights team works to grow performance rights revenues for record producers worldwide through:

Securing full performance rights in countries where they do not yet exist.

Setting up new music licensing companies (MLCs) to manage and collectively license performance rights in emerging markets, including in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Improving the operation of the existing MLCs through identifying and implementing best practices.

Securing fair tariffs for the broadcasting and public performance of sound recordings.

Anti-piracy

A global team that supports member companies in all anti-piracy activities. Delivers 24/7 pre-release monitoring; a high volume notice and takedown program, underpinned by a technical investigations resource to help establish the source of leaks.

Devises pioneering programs to disrupt revenue streams to illegal online services, including working with enforcement agencies, payment providers and advertisers.

Tackles the continuing problem of physical format piracy, using our in-house optical disc forensics laboratory, which is one of the world’s leading resources in this field.

Develops strategies and tools to tackle emerging forms of piracy.

International trade

IFPI’s trade team follows intergovernmental trade negotiations to help spread best practice in terms of protecting intellectual property rights.

Works to ensure that countries improve their mechanisms for copyright enforcement or change other regulatory conditions.

Technology

Manages the global implementation of the International Standard Recording Code, the key identifier for recordings on digital services such as iTunes.

Works with the worldwide industry and technology partners on digital infrastructure such as DDEX, database initiatives and audio recognition.

Technology insight, working with members, national groups and MLCs across all areas of digital music and related technology.

Communications

Advises and supports National Groups and members in a wide range of campaigns and projects.

The Communications team produces high quality public information materials to support all the organization's key activities.