About CDRM
CDRM – represents song writers, music composers and creative projects. Through extensive international networks it secures the very best rates when selling part or all of your music catalogue. CDRM will also bring to market exciting creative projects, developing a clear strategic plan for success.
“I couldn’t have achieved the sale of “Ain’t Nobody” without Helen Gammons’ extraordinary skills and network. She literally doubled the best figure I’d been offered up until that time. As a result, 3 years later, I gave her the job to represent the rest of my catalogue.”
David (Hawk) Wolinski (author and composer).
About Helen Gammons
Podcast Introduction – Six Before Breakfast (2023) – by Andrew Armour for International Creative Development ICD.
“In my coaching work, I often find myself quoting the great line from CARL JUNG – ‘We are what we do, not what we say’.
Creatives need a trusted champion in their corner, to be challenged when it’s key they need to hear another voice. A person who can steer the tricky business conversations, but help you do what you do best. In part, the manager, the coach, mentor, friend – and tough advisor too.
My guest today is the person I’d want to have in my corner if I were that creative! HELEN GAMMONS is currently the Chief Operating Officer / Business Affairs Director and co-founder of Rotolight a British family-owned company designing innovative LED lighting products for the motion picture, broadcast and photographic industries.
They are an award-winning example of British media and technology ingenuity. ROTOLIGHT designs and manufactures innovative LED technical lighting solutions for high-end creative photographers, and film-makers. With customers like Aston Martin, Sony, Disney and Universal Studios – their lighting products are used in studios and sound stages across the world. If you are a fan of the movies, you’ve likely seen their products doing their thing, without knowing it. Rotolight has won numerous awards and owns a suite of hi-tech patents, in the world of LED lighting. It is a great British success story.
If this alone were HELEN’s story in the Creative Industries– she’d be a perfect guest for SIX BEFORE BREAKFAST.
But her story is far, far deeper. From starting in record label promotions, and rising to be a Creative Director of Avex, one of Japan’s leading music rights owners, heading up their Music Publishing division. She went on to run recording studios and then led an independent music synchronisation consultancy.
And, writing The Art of Music Publishing, one of the essential books on many music executive’s bookshelves. Her expertise led her to be asked to help teach the next generation of media and creative talent. She became the Programme Director of the Creative MBA at Henley Business School, Vice Principal of the Academy of Contemporary Music, and on to the Advisory Board of Creative MBA at Ashridge Business School.
Today, as well as steering the ongoing growth and international success of ROTOLIGHT, Helen Gammons also continues to advise leading artists and songwriters on music rights
She is the personification of;
‘We are what we do’.
- Current – CEO of CDRM – a Copyright management and business consultancy business.
- Current – COO/Patent management (co-owner) of Rotolight Group Ltd a multi-award-winning LED lighting and Technology company in the film, broadcast, and photographic sectors.
- Education – MBA, Business Entrepreneurship, Manchester Business School 2003, sponsored by KPMG.
- Vice Principal – May 2015 – Aug 2016, ‘The Academy of Contemporary Music’.
- Henley Business School – (2011 – 2016). Programme and strategic director for the creative sectors MBA and executive programmes. Helen wrote and developed the world’s first MBA for the Music & Creative Industries in the UK and South Africa. Helen wrote multiple reports and papers collaborating with IBM, Spotify, KAE, Adobe and many others.
- Chair of various ‘boards of study’ and ‘progression boards’ at Henley Business School and The Academy of Contemporary Music.
- Helen led a meeting at the Houses of Parliament in 2012 with Culture Minister Ed Vaizey and Senior Music Executives from Warner, Universal, Sony, EMI, Peer Music, Roar Management and the Dean of Henley Business School, to press for the adoption of middle and senior management development programmes to encourage the support of the industry and the strategic pressures it faced.
- Finalist First Women Awards, CBI, Real Business – 2015 &16
- Active mentor featured by EasyJet magazine 2015.
- Author “The Art of Music Publishing” an entrepreneur’s guide used by many universities as a core text which is also in the Oxford Bodleian Library.
- Executive Creative Director, and shareholder Prime Direction (Avex Japan), part of the management team that took a fledgling company from start-up to flotation in Japan. Headed the Publishing company and often achieved prime position (No. 1) by market share in Japan, competing directly with Sony and Toshiba EMI.
- Member of the City of London Livery ‘Worshipful Company of Marketors’ (WCM)
- Music supervisor and business affairs – Sync in The City – Handling all the legal and business affairs in generating licensing revenue streams from games/movies/broadcast programmes.
- PGCE – Institute of Education
Published papers and reports by Helen Gammons
Authors: Professor John Board / Helen Gammons – 2012. The paper was a key reason quoted by government ministers in actioning a U-turn.
2. Music & Brand Partnerships – Henley Business School.
Author: Helen Gammons – 2011
4. Managing for Disruptive Innovation – Henley Business School. Authors: Helen Gammons, KAE – Keith Jopling /Professor George Tovstiga – 2015
6. ‘Superbrands to Superfans’ – Henley Business School.
Author: Helen Gammons, October 7th, 2015
Patent Licensing and Infringement
A patent is a granted property right to the creator(s) of a new, unique and useful invention, discovery or process. Patents allow you to bar others from making, using or selling your invention.
Many companies choose to license their patents and in time develop an income stream. Sometimes however this route is chosen for the Patent owner when an infringement becomes so widespread that the only realistic option left is to provide a licence to infringing companies in exchange for a royalty or fee for use of the patent, as barring access in this instance is too time-consuming and unrealistic.
There are three main types of patents: utility, design and plant.
My work as COO at Rotolight includes the management of an extensive patent portfolio. In so doing I work with some of the best law firms who specialise in the drafting and filing of the patents to protect and assert them.
A proactive licensing programme is underway
which helps companies understand the need to get a license.
You can read the latest updates via the links below:
The Art of Music Publishing
The Art of Music Publishing (2011) – An Entrepreneurs Guide is a core international University text on most music and media courses.
Copyright
A copyright protects original works of authorship including songs, books, movies, articles and much more. The key is that the work must exist on a physical or digital medium, such as paper, film or a digital file. A copyright gives you the exclusive right to use a work in a variety of ways: you can reproduce it, sell or distribute copies, display it, perform it, or create other works based on your copyrighted work. Copyrights exist at the point of creation, they are automatic upon creation of the original work, but registration is recommended so that the copyright claim is part of the public record.
The British Association of Composers and Authors June 2011 stated:
“Gammons has succeeded where so many have failed”.
The music industry has been rocked by music piracy, incompetent business leaders, an inability to think strategically, indifference to putting the music fan first, archaic accounting practices, and contracts that alienate artists and music publishers that have used complex international accounting practices to deliberately reduce royalties to writers.
My first book published in 2011 discussed many of these practices.
I have been asked to write a sequel and perhaps in time, I will. Record labels do not invest in developing long-term careers any more, they are just part of the process for some.
Many Artists and Managers have found new routes to market and are bypassing many major labels. Often this is down to the short-term contracts that senior executives are on and the appeasement of needing to increase share price. This comes at the expense of Artists’ careers.
The time horizon is so short now.
Major labels and publishers tend to just act as stewards of talent and those Artists and Writers that build enough skill and expertise find a way to make it work for themselves. Those who are well connected enough find the right people to help them achieve their ambitions. There are lots of great people in the music industry and Artist Managers and Agents can unlock success.
My advice to anyone wanting to build a career is to find a good mentor, build your network and know how to retain control of your copyrights. Make sure your music ‘Rights’ returns in full to you at some point because believe me they are your best assets.
My work now is helping creatives who have had a long career regain control and maximise their financial return when they want to sell some or all of their ‘Rights’.
Conference and speaker engagements
Guest speaker/panellist: Global Innovation Summit
Finance Leaders’ Summit
The FD Surgery, featuring the annual FDs’ Excellence Awards
Raindance Film Festival
Association of British Orchestras
Midem
MUSEXPO
Cannes Film Festival
The Great Escape
The Music Publishers Association
Talk to us
Have any questions? We are always open to talk about your business, new projects, creative opportunities and how we can help you.