Davide d’Atri of Soundreef: “The freedom to choose is only good”

“The story of the strong man in charge is a big nonsense.” Davide d’Atri, CEO and founder of Soundreef, he is so sure of this theory that he puts it into practice right from the smallest things, in open contrast to the prevailing and overflowing protagonism of certain company leaders: very few public releases, social profiles updated occasionally and a deep connection with reality that allowed him not only to make its way into a market that had nothing liberalized, but also to demolish a monopoly, that of the SIAE, which had been the master in Italy for more than 140 years.

Since Soundreef was born in 2014, D’Atri’s battle has been to leave authors and publishers the freedom to manage their copyrights transparently, without passively accepting a reality that everyone was resorting to because there were simply no alternatives to option. «For decades the SIAE has carried out the task of collecting certain fees on behalf of authors and publishers. It was not an Italian anomaly, because every European nation had one, with the exception of England. At a certain point, before the Barnier directive, I understand, however, that these monopolies were no longer legitimate »explains d’Atri on the phone from his Rome office in Piazza Barberini.

“When the European Community established that any author or publisher can join any collective and that any user can buy from any collective in Europe, Soundreef underwent an acceleration that led it to become an Italian company in 2015 starting, from the following year, an operation on the territory that gave way to a long political quarrel ». What happened in those years, after all, we all know: the struggle with the SIAE to preserve the monopoly on copyright, the operation of former Israeli intelligence agents told byEspresso who was trying to discover the secrets of Soundreef, the long-distance clash with the Minister of Cultural Heritage Dario Franceschini and the interference of a press that was now on the side of the startup and now on that of the giant grabbed with teeth and nails. ‘Article 180 which attributed to him the exclusive management of the rights and fees of the authors. The sentence of 2019, the one that sanctioned SIAE, thus opening the doors to the free market, meant that Soundreef, which has more than 40 thousand artists in its stable, took off definitively. From Fedez to J-Ax, from Gigi D’Alessio to Fabio Rovazzi, from Takagi & Ketra to Marracash, from Sfera Ebbasta to Federica Abbate, more than 22 thousand Italian artists have chosen to rely on Soundreef and Davide D’Atri who, together with his team of 50 people, has set up a company that today has only one goal: “to build”.

In his book The music has changed he writes that “before Soundreef the authors and publishers received few compensation and with little transparency in the diffusion of their music”.
«We believe we have introduced services that bring an important transparency for publishers and authors who, among other things, receive more money, faster and finally understand what they receive them for. When we entered this sector, we faced the classic problems linked to a monopoly but I believe that, when a market is liberalized, competition does only good to the author, who finally has the freedom to choose ».

Before Soundreef you founded another company in London, BeatPick. At a certain point she realizes she wants to abandon her because “the challenge was missing”: was this the reason that pushed her to lead this battle?
“When I realized I had a little more professionalism, knowledge and courage, I decided it was the right time to face something much more challenging and greater than maintaining a company that could work, I it was giving a sufficiently decent existence to live, but it didn’t allow me to live the entrepreneurial challenge, that thrill you have chasing dreams and broader visions ».

This thrill Has it ever made you lose sleep over the years?
“Absolutely yes. I had to undertake a long psychological and personal journey to seek an inner balance able to detach myself from what is happening around me, whether it is good or bad. Sometimes you do not sleep only when there are threats, but also for a positive emotion: learning to do it was very difficult but, at a certain point, I told myself that all in all we live in a democratic country where no one will kidnap me, at most the company will fail, but I knew this from the start. I will fight not to make it fail, yes. Trying to convey this sense of balance to my team too ».

There have been several positive emotions at Soundreef in recent years.
“One of the things that makes me happiest are the comments from the authors and editors who thank us for giving them something they’ve never seen before. If what we do has a minimum of impact on a person for us it is an immense joy, not to mention all the artists who have trusted us like Takagi and Ketra, rappers like Sfera Ebbasta, producers like Charlie Charles, artists like Mace, who joined Soundreef shortly before the release of his record which became the most played album in the world during the debut weekend ».

Many artists, starting with Fedez himself, one of your first supporters, have looked for you. And do you ever court any of them?
“Sure. Some knock on our door, but others we chase and try to persuade them for years. We are cautious, not aggressive people: if an author has doubts, maybe we propose to give us the online first and then, with time, radio and TV. We are very aggressive with the powerful, yes. We don’t like arrogant people ».

In the preface of his book. Fedez wrote that “Soundreef is a reality that disturbs, that bothers”. Is this still the case today?
“We have done so much to go from the moment we were a company that brought something that was a bomb on the market to the moment we became a company that wants to build. Today we are this: a company that tries to be reasonable, to dialogue with everyone, including SIAE itself ».

How are relations with SIAE today?
“It’s tough, as it should be. After 2019 were sanctioned by the Antitrust for abuse of a dominant position against us, we reached an agreement that established new rules of engagement and that gave us the opportunity to grow well. Having said that, we are 2 competitors: they are much bigger than us, and that is why we must strive to do better ».

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You are an anomalous company face, since you avoid any kind of protagonism and live above all in what you define as a “gray area”.
«I am convinced that, when there is a successful leader, behind there is a team even more successful than him. The platforms have brought innovation, but I am uncomfortable with how we are using them, I am very critical of the intensive use that is made of them both from a private and professional point of view. There too it is necessary to find a balance, to draw a line beyond which something is wrong. From this point of view, I really care about a certain type of privacy ».

However, we know something about his private life: if he hadn’t gone to Elba at the age of 12, Soundreef probably wouldn’t exist.
“There are moments in life that represent gods slinding doors: before then I didn’t know the music industry and I didn’t know how it worked. Getting in touch with people who had to do with that reality changed my life. If I hadn’t been in that place at that moment, maybe today I’d do something else. “

As a teenager he also dabbled a bit as an artist, as he mixed vinyls.
«Let’s say that nobody complains about my absence as an artist. I have been taking lessons since I was 6 years old but, once I turned 15, I dedicated myself to electronics: the truth is that I didn’t even think about being an artist for a moment, it was a hobby. I’ve never felt gifted ».

2020 was a special year for everyone, including the music industry. Balance?
“We had foreseen them all, but not a pandemic (laughs, ed). I remember the first week of March, when we went into lockdown: I found myself in the office alone and at a certain point, doing the math, it seemed obvious to us that the music industry would have lost 30/40% of its turnover in a few days. Reading such a figure puts an entrepreneur in front of an absurd situation: we have decided to invest in the team and human capital by cutting out consultancy, tax consultants, etc. We were able to do it because investors continued to trust us, taking advantage of the stop to improve some segments that had to stop, such as live shows ».

In this regard, the Sanremo Festival starts in 2 weeks and a lot of live shows have been announced between the end of summer and the beginning of autumn: are you optimistic?
«The recovery is tough because the industry takes a very long time: many summer tours have already been skipped, it takes time. It is scary to read as the date “January 2022”, but it is better to prepare than to delude yourself. I agree that Sanremo had to be done safely, without tearing up to give a good example to the people, but I would be more serene if the government stopped opting for rainy measures that certainly do not prepare the ground for a restart. Targeted funds are needed for sustainability, growth and development: if you give them to rain they can be fine today, but tomorrow they end and the day after tomorrow you find yourself out of work ».

It is very realistic. Do you still have dreams?
«To bring this company to a level that will allow it to remain on the market for the next few decades. If I have to look at the next 10/15 years, I’m not sure, though, to stay in the music industry. There are other issues that interest me, such as nutrition as a tool for social well-being, trying to make consumers understand that buying a certain type of product has a crazy impact on the local economy, and like immigration, to show that there can be a match that protects both the immigrant and those who live in this country ».