HFA Licenses Guitar Tab Site

The Harry Fox Agency has struck a licensing deal with Musicnotes to help launch a licensed, ad-supported guitar tablature Web site this summer. Under the deal, HFA-member publishers can receive a percentage of ad revenue generated through the download site.

Guitar Tabs, a wholly-owned subsidiary of digital sheet music company Musicnotes, will launch the service on its MXTabs.net site.

Guitar tablatures, called guitar tabs, are transcriptions of music presented in a text-based format that guitarists can use to learn songs.

HFA is offering the deal to its publisher members on a commission-free basis, so publishers that elect to be part of the license may receive a percentage of ad revenue generated through views or downloads from the site without paying HFA a commission.

"We are excited to have the technology and the expertise to assist publishers and songwriters in monetizing this burgeoning area of interest among musicians which, until now, has largely not been served in this way," says Kathleen Marsh, CEO of Musicnotes.