Expanded Partnership: IMRO and GC Partners

The Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) today announced an expanded strategic partnership with GC Partners, a specialist international financial services provider, to further reduce foreign exchange (FX) costs on global royalty payments and deliver higher earnings for IMRO members.

The enhanced partnership strengthens IMRO’s longstanding commitment to their growing international membership base, ensuring that music creators retain more of their international royalties by minimising hidden fees, FX conversion losses, and international payment charges, all of which are vital as cross border revenues continue to grow.

IMRO has already engaged GC Partners to facilitate international outbound royalty payments. Today’s announcement extends that partnership to the inbound royalties IMRO receives from over 80+ reciprocal agreements worldwide, unlocking additional benefits specifically for writers who rely on IMRO to collect royalties from multiple international sources.

Why This Matters for IMRO Members

Foreign exchange drag is one of the most persistent and underestimated costs in global royalty distribution. Hidden foreign exchange fees, wide currency spreads and invisible bank charges can significantly erode earning potential for songwriters and composers.

Through GC Partners’ best-in-class foreign exchange execution and international payments infrastructure, IMRO will be able to increase the net value returned to creators from their international revenues.  GC Partners has facilitated over 300,000 global payments for clients last year alone and offers highly competitive exchange rates across 125+ markets worldwide,

This directly supports IMRO’s mission to maximise value for its members, complementing IMRO’s already industry leading 2% administration rate on overseas collections, amplified by the fact that IMRO now has members based in over 180 countries worldwide.

A Proven Specialist Partner

GC Partners, headquartered in London with offices globally was founded in 2003, is a regulated foreign exchange and international payments provider known for “making international payments and currency risk management simple, strategic, and personal,” trusted by more than 160,000 clients globally.

GC Partners provides:

• Highly competitive foreign exchange rates with transparent pricing
• Global currency accounts
• Mass payment capabilities for royalty distribution at scale
• Dedicated support teams serving the music and creative industries

These capabilities align directly with IMRO’s strategic goal of ensuring that every euro possible flows back to the creators who earned it.

Strengthening IMRO’s International Value Proposition

The expanded partnership is designed not only to support IMRO’s existing membership but also to appeal to internationally active songwriters, composers, and publishers who want to place their trust in a collective management organisation that prioritises efficiency, transparency, and net returns.

As IMRO increases its global outreach efforts, this enhancement provides a compelling offer to creators overseas through higher retained royalties, faster payments, and reduced financial leakage across the royalty chain.

Seán Donegan, Chief Commercial Officer, IMRO, said:

“Our members deserve to retain as much of their hard-earned royalties as possible. By expanding our partnership with GC Partners, we are removing significant foreign exchange costs and strengthening our ability to deliver market leading value to both domestic and international rightsholders.

Joe Cooke, Head of Music and Entertainment, GC Partners, said:

“We’re delighted to deepen our collaboration with IMRO. Our mission is to make international payments simple, secure, and extremely cost effective. By combining IMRO’s world class royalty systems with our foreign exchange expertise, we’re proud to help ensure that more money ends up where it belongs, with the creators.”

Andrew Fundell, CEO, GC Partners said:

“For too long musicians, writers and creators have suffered from international transaction costs eroding the value of their royalty payments, often at the mercy of excessive banking and foreign exchange charges. Now that we have expanded our relationship with IMRO, we can oversee the full journey from collection to delivery. This reduces the number of hands each payment passes through and ensures that the maximum net value is delivered to those who have created the art we all enjoy.”

About IMRO

The Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) represents more than 30,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers in Ireland and internationally. IMRO’s mission is to protect, promote, and develop the collection and distribution of music royalties, ensuring creators are rewarded fairly and transparently for their work.