MUMBAI: Sony Music has signed a partnership agreement with GlobalCollect and Materna GmbH to boost webshop functionalities on its label.

The companies will create a unique retail offering on its labels’ artist websites across the EMEA region to enable consumers to download digital content. To this end, Sony Music uses GlobalCollect’s portfolio of local and international payment methods to facilitate all related e-payment transactions. With the help of a viral widget, a software embedded into online platforms and social networking sites, Sony Music is driving traffic directly to the website of an artist to allow fans to share information and to download the artist’s repertoire.
GlobalCollect’s single-interface online payment platform, WebCollect, offers fans a broad array of payment products form credit cards to alternative payment methods to purchase MP3 music downloads. At a later stage, the e-commerce offer will be expanded to include artist merchandise, concert tickets, and more.

Sony Music Entertainment International director D2C sales Europe Patrick Bingley said, "The international payment strategy proposed by GlobalCollect not only offers the broadest choice of payment methods to our visitors but also the advantage of a scalable one-stop shop solution. Plus, the WebCollect platform reduces risk thanks to comprehensive fraud screening tools and increases conversion rates thanks to a multitude of currencies and popular payment products."

GlobalCollect CEO Jan Manten added, "We are delighted to welcome Sony Music to our ever growing portfolio of worldwide clients. As a full-service PSP who understands the particulars of the music industry, we enable Sony Music to reach out to a global audience and simultaneously reduce costs by implementing revenue models that are effective and relevant to the online music and entertainment world."