TBILISI, Georgia (CelebrityAccess) — The Mental Property Homeowners' Affiliation (IPOA), a new collective rights management organization (CMO) encompassing artists from the former Soviet state of Georgia, has announced its official launch.

Accredited by the Georgian National Intellectual Property Center, SAKPATENTI, IPOA will oversee the collection of royalties on behalf of Georgian artists and songwriters, while also establishing and maintaining relationships with other royalty collection societies around the world.

“Georgian artists wanted to reap the benefits of European approaches to accountability and transparency, combined with American expertise in rights management, all while maintaining their unique artistic spirit and vision,” explains Stefan Schulz, veteran record label executive and music innovation executive and head of international relations at IPOA. “The world needs to know more about Georgia’s distinctive and breathtaking music, and its artists deserve to be rewarded for their contributions.”

The IPOA will succeed the Georgia Assortment Society, which was created after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, but the organization has received criticism for high costs and inefficiencies.

According to IPOA, the organization will operate differently from GCA.

“Our expenses are limited by law,” said Giorgi Nikolaishvilli, IPOA’s Director General, “and our commitment to service is high, partly because we are founded by artists.”

As part of the new approach, IPOA will utilize a single technology platform that will allow users to monitor and track usage, manage entitlements and accounting, eliminating the need for multiple vendors and streamlining the entire process.

Artists can access detailed reports on their royalties through their accounts on the IPOA website, and companies that play licensed music will be able to ensure that appropriate fees are paid for the use of copyrighted music.

“We have discovered that we can live differently and have more time for our art, establishing a better business base for artists here,” said noted Georgian composer and music teacher Kakha Tsabadze. “Now that this foundation has been built, Georgian artists are discovering that they can finance their own ideas with the profits from their creativity. It is truly inspiring.”