Melanie Santa Rosa Appointed Head of Copyright at Third Side Music

New Head of Copyright at Third Side Music

Canadian independent music publisher Third Side Music has appointed Melanie Santa Rosa as its new head of copyright.

With over two decades of experience in music publishing and rights management, she will be based in New York and will report directly to Third Side Music Co-founder and CEO Patrick Curley, overseeing the company's copyright department.

Melanie Santa Rosa’s Experience

Santa Rosa has a rich background in music publishing and rights management. Before joining TSM, she held the position of Executive Vice President of Global Digital Copyright Administration at Word Collections, where she managed copyright and royalty operations for a variety of artists, including comedians, spoken word artists, songwriters, and music publishers.

“Melanie is a qualified professional with many years of experience and is highly respected in the music publishing industry. She is exactly the person we need to lead the operation and development of Third Side Music's worldwide collections platform in the coming years.”

Patrick Curley, Third Side Music

Prior to her tenure at Word Collections, Santa Rosa spent 12 years at Spiritual Music Group. During her time there, she advanced from Manager of Film/TV/Advertising, Performance, and Copyrights to Senior Vice President of Global Administration. Her early career included a decade at BMI, where she cultivated strong relationships with songwriters and publishers while collaborating with performer rights organizations.

Active Industry Engagement

Santa Rosa has previously served on the Mechanical Licensing Team (MLC) Operations Advisory Committee and currently sits on the board of the New York Chapter of the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP). Beyond her executive responsibilities, she is actively involved with the US Music Managers Forum, Women in Music, and the Society’s Publishers Forum.

Commenting on her new role, Santa Rosa expressed: “I am thrilled and proud to join Third Side Music, an innovator in music publishing, rights management, licensing, and creative services. I am honored to partner with such a respected and dynamic global team committed to protecting and maximizing the value of an outstanding catalogue.”

Patrick Curley, co-founder and CEO of TSM, remarked: “Melanie is a skilled professional with decades of experience and is highly respected in the music publishing industry. She is exactly the person we need to lead the operation and development of Third Side Music's worldwide collections platform in the coming years.”

Third Side Music characterizes itself as a “100% independent music publisher with a global reach.” It represents over 70,000 works from contemporary artists and heritage catalogues, according to its website. The company offers licensing, creative, and administration synchronization services.