Sounds of success as Sugarstar pulls off international deal

What does it take to get just the right soundtrack for a film, or the right music for a TV commercial or a dynamic PC game?

Mark Fordyce knows just what a financial and legal headache it can be when negotiating for copyright with artists and recording companies. That’s why five years ago he came up with Sugarstar Sync, an on-line business that offers a catalogue of pre-cleared music from some of the finest independent artists around. The music can be tapped into, selected and the license calculated in minutes for all synchronization projects.

Based at York Science Park the company combines Fordyce’s 20 years’ experience in the music industry with a more recent career as an internet entrepreneur. With a big international business deal already under his belt, it looks like a very good career move.

Mark said: “The music business is changing very fast and most artists know that their career path will have to encompass a digital rights aspect if they want to succeed.

“We are constantly scouting around for the best and most interesting songs and then exclusively sign and represent their synchronisation rights.

“Usually the cost and the time involved in gaining copyright for music can be prohibitive and I wanted to make the process much easier with original and exciting music available almost immediately.”

With music in several of the UK’s biggest selling PC games successfully achieved, cracking the international market was crucial to the company’s success.

In 2005, Sugarstar signed up to UK Trade & Investment’s Passport to Export programme.

“We wanted to capitalise on the ‘Britishness’ of our music and we knew our market was in the US, Europe and Asia,” added Mark.

“The Passport programme deepened our practical knowledge of the export process with regard to payments and accounting issues, and we also found the eclectic mix of the other companies on the programme very motivating.

“Most important of all, Passport got us out to Cannes for Midem, the world’s largest conference for the music industry. It was our first time there and we were looking for distribution for ‘Sugarstar Records – our new development label. Amazingly, I managed to secure an international deal with iTunes, the biggest digital music store in the world.”

The deal, which allows Sugarstar to sell music by new artists Jade and Ubernoise, who are signed to the development label, directly through iTunes, means that rapid expansion is on the horizon.     

Nigel Goddard, UK Trade & Investment sector specialist for digital and creative companies is providing Sugarstar with advice and support.

Nigel said: “Sugarstar are definitely one to watch. They are now taking advantage of Yorkshire Forward’s Targeted Export Support Scheme (TESS) to attend the next Midem conference in January. Such opportunities for relationship building are crucial for the company as it gives them a chance to mingle with the major decision makers in the music industry.”

Future plans for Sugarstar include a visit to the USA where they hope to build up their business contacts and target potential clients.

For more information visit: www.sugarstar.com