OpenPlay Teams with Stem to Expand Direct Delivery Service for Seamless Music and Video Distribution

Photo Credit: OpenPlay

OpenPlay teams up with Stem to expand its Direct Delivery service, enabling users to seamlessly send music and video assets and corresponding metadata directly to DSPs without negotiating additional licensing deals.OpenPlay Inc., provider of the leading platform for asset and catalog management in the music industry, is expanding its Direct Delivery service for its roster of artists and labels by teaming up with Stem, widely known for its comprehensive distribution offering. The expansion enables OpenPlay users to seamlessly send music and video assets and corresponding metadata directly to DSPs without needing to negotiate their own licensing deals.

Launched in 2023, OpenPlay’s Direct Delivery helps independent labels deliver music to DSPs without friction or proprietary data barriers, using their own DSP or Merlin licenses. The new deal allows OpenPlay users, whether Merlin members or not, to utilize Stem’s existing licenses with DSPs, further streamlining the process.

Stem will also manage statements and payments for select OpenPlay Direct Delivery customers, for a competitive single-digit rate of net royalties unmatched in the industry.The discount is made possible by OpenPlay’s ability to deliver complete, fully validated, market-ready DDEX files conforming to every DSP’s individual style guide, allowing Stem to pass them to DSPs with no intervention required. Further, OpenPlay will refund a portion of the fee to labels that generate enough revenue, effectively reducing their OpenPlay subscription costs.

“We’re very pleased to add Stem to our Direct Delivery options for our labels. Stem has a well-earned reputation for its terrific services for artists,” said Jonathan Bender, Chief Operating and Growth Officer at OpenPlay. “Using Stem’s DSP licenses, OpenPlay clients can send their music and video directly to DSPs from within the very system they already use to organize their metadata and assets, saving money while receiving top-quality statement and payment processing.”

“Working with OpenPlay just makes sense, because they’ve developed tools that provide artists and their teams the ability to operate autonomously — a shared ethos that is at the core of Stem and the work we do,” added Kristin Graziani, President of Stem. “They’ve done all the hard work of generating DDEX files that deliver to every DSP, so we can offer favorable rates to their clients, saving artists and labels money that can be reinvested into marketing their artists and running their business.”

Direct Delivery is available to all OpenPlay users along with other powerful tools, including OpenPlay’s release management platform for distributors and major label groups. Their other recently released tools include artist tour date visibility, marketing and merchandise support, bulk editing, an enhanced API, and much more.