WTPL Music

WTPL Music is a French independent music publishing and rights-management company based in Lille. It was founded in 1991 as Woof Trade Publishing Limited by members of the band The Barking Dogs, notably Jason Barnard and Xavier Collin. After the band's four albums and roughly a thousand concerts across Europe, the group stopped in 1997, and the two main shareholders redirected WTPL toward supporting artistic projects as a publisher. Early signings came through their booking company Tourbillon and included acts such as Marcel & son Orchestre, Useless, Jan Stého, les Belles Lurettes and PPz30. In 1999 Jason Barnard was nominated at UCON 99 in San Francisco for the Boowa and Kwala children's website, and the multimedia division was later sold to his new entity Up To Ten. Around the same period Xavier Collin acquired full ownership of WTPL and, from 2001, intensified its publishing work. In early 2003 he stopped booking entirely and closed Tourbillon (which had handled 800 concerts a year) to focus on management and publishing. New signings enriched the catalogue, including Obdurate, Unswabbed, Kayans, Dee Doo, Didascalie, Tibo, Xtoff, Willy Léger, Mangoreva, Guillaume Simon, Club 8 and Mondial. Collin's stated aim was to build an electric, rich and broad catalogue in which the authors' universes would not cannibalise one another. Today WTPL Music describes itself as a publishing company created by artists, open to all musical aesthetics. It supports authors and composers, acts as editorial manager for other publishers and as estate manager for rights holders, and entrusts placement and sync to Royal Sync. Its writing sessions, called "Woof Camp", are held regularly to write songs for performers and bespoke music. The company offers rights-holder services such as editorial management and administration, world sub-publishing outside the country of origin, master rights management, neighbouring-rights collection (producer, performer), licensing and synchronisation, physical and digital distribution, company creation, management consulting and training. For rights users it provides catalogue licensing (publishing and master), music supervision, executive production, composer coordination for audiovisual and new-media projects, business affairs, special and premium products, and consulting and training. Its missions centre on music publishing, sub-publishing, promotion of works, rights administration and synchronisation.

WTPL Music was founded in 1991 as Woof Trade Publishing Limited by the band The Barking Dogs, whose members included Jason Barnard and Xavier Collin. After releasing four albums and playing around a thousand concerts in Europe, the band stopped in 1997. By then Barnard and Collin had already created a booking company, Tourbillon, in 1993, and they decided to steer WTPL toward supporting artistic projects through the role of publisher. The first signings were developing artists who came through touring and Tourbillon, such as Marcel & son Orchestre, Useless, Jan Stého, les Belles Lurettes and PPz30. In 1999 Jason Barnard was nominated at UCON 99 in San Francisco for the Boowa and Kwala website, a site for children aged 2 to 8 that was described as unique in the world. He returned as a beta tester for Macromedia (Flash 5). Several venture-capital firms and business angels were approached, and the multimedia division was sold to Barnard's new entity, Up To Ten. Around the same time, Xavier Collin acquired the entirety of WTPL and from 2001 intensified its publishing work. In early 2003 he stopped booking entirely and closed Tourbillon, which had handled 800 concerts a year, in order to concentrate on management and publishing. New signings enriched the catalogue: Obdurate, Unswabbed, Kayans, Dee Doo, Didascalie, Tibo, Xtoff, Willy Léger, Mangoreva, Guillaume Simon, Club 8 and Mondial, among others. Signings were often driven by the angle of encounter and human relationship, with the publishing contract serving as the mandate to officially start working together. The catalogue was built with a desire to avoid duplication, and Collin's stated ambition was to have an electric, rich and broad catalogue in which the authors' universes would not cannibalise one another. From early 2004 new encounters further strengthened WTPL's anchoring. The company has since developed a range of services for both rights holders and rights users. For rights holders it offers editorial management and administration, world sub-publishing outside the country of origin, master rights management, collection and management of neighbouring rights (producer, performer), licensing and synchronisation, physical and digital distribution, company creation, and management consulting and training. For rights users it offers licensing of represented catalogues (publishing and master), music supervision, executive production, coordination of composers for audiovisual and new-media projects, business affairs, special and premium products, and consulting and training. Its stated missions are music publishing, sub-publishing, promotion of works, rights administration and synchronisation. Placement and sync are entrusted to Royal Sync, and the company runs regular writing sessions called "Woof Camp" to write songs for performers and bespoke music. WTPL Music remains based at 1 Place aux Bleuets in Lille, France.

• 2004

  New encounters further strengthen WTPL's catalogue and positioning.

• 2003

  Xavier Collin stops booking entirely and closes Tourbillon to focus on management and publishing.

• 2001

  Xavier Collin acquires full ownership of WTPL and intensifies publishing work.

• 1999

  Jason Barnard nominated at UCON 99 in San Francisco for the Boowa and Kwala children's website.

• 1997

  The Barking Dogs stop after four albums and around a thousand concerts in Europe.

• 1993

  Jason Barnard and Xavier Collin create the booking company Tourbillon.

• 1991

  WTPL Music founded as Woof Trade Publishing Limited by the band The Barking Dogs.

Independent, artist-founded publishing house open to all musical aesthetics, focused on long-term support for authors and composers and on a broad, non-cannibalising catalogue.

• Editorial management and administration

• World sub-publishing (outside country of origin)

• Master rights management

• Neighbouring rights collection (producer, performer)

• Licensing and synchronisation

• Physical and digital distribution

• Company creation

• Management consulting and training

• Catalogue licensing (publishing and master)

• Music supervision

• Executive production

• Composer coordination for audiovisual and new media

• Business affairs

• Special and premium products

• Woof Camp

1. 1WTPL Music – Publishing & More since 1991wtpl.fr
2. 2Nos services et missions – WTPL Musicwtpl.fr
3. 3Histoire de WTPL, de 1991 à nos jours… – WTPL Musicwtpl.fr
4. 4WTPL Music – Wikidatawikidata.org