Hippindo and USEA sign MoU to develop digital music licensing management
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Association of Shopping Centre Retailers and Lessees (Hippindo) and USEA Pte. Ltd. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop digital-based commercial music licensing management for retail businesses in Indonesia.
Through this partnership, Hippindo and USEA will explore the development of services including digital license administration, outlet registration, music license management, certification, music usage reporting, multi-outlet management, Background Music (BGM), and music services tailored for business needs.
Speaking in Jakarta on Tuesday, USEA Managing Director Jerry Chen stated that digitalisation is expected to make commercial music management simpler and more integrated with daily business operations.
“Our goal is simple: commercial music management must not be a complicated matter for business players. We want to utilise technology to create a clearer connection between music licensing, compliance, background music, and daily outlet operations,” said Jerry.
The development of these services is considered highly relevant for businesses that use music as part of the customer experience, such as retail stores, shopping centres, restaurants, cafes, hotels, and various other commercial spaces.
According to Chen, Indonesia possesses great potential to develop more modern business music and digital music licensing systems, alongside technological advancements and the increasing complexity of business networks with multiple outlets.
USEA Regional Manager for Special Projects, Suraya Abdullah, noted that the cooperation with Hippindo provides an opportunity to understand the needs of retail businesses directly.
“Retailers do not want complicated processes. They need clarity—what they need to do, why they need to do it, and how they can manage it easily across all their outlets,” she said.
The collaboration with Hippindo further opens opportunities to bring these service developments closer to business owners and retail networks in Indonesia. Through a digital platform, businesses are expected to gain better visibility regarding licensing status, certification, music usage, BGM services, and other administrative requirements across various outlets.
This MoU also serves as an initial framework for Hippindo and USEA to develop member education programmes, socialisation, pilot projects, digital onboarding, business music services, and various other forms of collaboration according to industry needs.
This collaboration aligns with the digital transformation of the retail industry, which encompasses not only payment systems, customer analytics, artificial intelligence, and supply chains, but also operational support functions, including music management, licensing, reporting, and compliance.
The presence of the National Collective Management Organisation (LMKN) at the MoU signing further strengthens the link between the retail industry, technology, and the ecosystem for managing copyrights and royalties for songs and music in Indonesia.
LMKN plays a role in managing licences and royalties for the commercial use of songs and music, while USEA focuses on developing the technology and operational infrastructure to support these processes digitally.
Previously, USEA has also collaborated with LMKN to develop a digital-based commercial music licensing ecosystem, including license administration, music usage reporting, pilot project implementation, and the strengthening of the national music royalty ecosystem.
The signing took place during the Indonesia Retail Summit & Expo (IRSE) 2026, an event bringing together retail industry players, the government, innovators, technology providers, and various stakeholders within the Indonesian retail ecosystem.