PRESS RELEASE: Sacem reaffirms commitment to its members as it announces enhanced aid measures
On Monday, December 7, Sacem organised a day of solidarity in support of the Scène Française - for authors, and composers and publishers of music, and more broadly for all professionals in the sector. This day was an opportunity — at a time when the French music scene has been at a standstill for 9 months — to call for a mass mobilisation and to raise awareness among public authorities, and all those who love music, about the industry’s continued anguish and distress.
Since the announcement of the first lockdown last March, the closure for several months of music venues (cafés, restaurants, shops, nightclubs…) and the cancellation of concerts and festivals have had a negative impact on authors’ rights collections and on Sacem’s operating account.
Because of the second lockdown, the drop of collections will impact on the remuneration of authors, and composers and music publishers for whom theses channels provide, an essential source of authors’ rights.
Aware of what was at stake for its members, Sacem announced at the beginning of the crisis a plan with emergency measures: a rescue fund for members facing the most severe difficulties, exceptional royalty advances, and increased aid for publishers. More than 5,000 Sacem members have benefited from this plan.
In May, united and mobilised alongside its members, and with support from its partners, Sacem launched a major operation in support of the French music scene to encourage the media, digital platforms and the public to show their commitment by broadcasting and listening to more music produced in France.
Sacem also sought new revenue sources linked to the latest broadcasting trends, signing new agreements with Twitch and Akius, for example, and coming up with a new system for exceptional remuneration from livestream concerts broadcast on free platforms. These initiatives provide opportunities for Sacem members to tap additional sources of income in the context of the abrupt halt of the music scene, even if this solidarity action won’t compensate for losses related to Covid crisis.
Today, faced with the prolongation of the pandemic and the related lockdown measures, and in the absence of a clear prospect for the resumption of cultural activities, Sacem is extending and enhancing its emergency plan with new measures from January 4.
It is therefore announcing :
Since the announcement of the first lockdown last March, the closure for several months of music venues (cafés, restaurants, shops, nightclubs…) and the cancellation of concerts and festivals have had a negative impact on authors’ rights collections and on Sacem’s operating account.
Because of the second lockdown, the drop of collections will impact on the remuneration of authors, and composers and music publishers for whom theses channels provide, an essential source of authors’ rights.
Aware of what was at stake for its members, Sacem announced at the beginning of the crisis a plan with emergency measures: a rescue fund for members facing the most severe difficulties, exceptional royalty advances, and increased aid for publishers. More than 5,000 Sacem members have benefited from this plan.
In May, united and mobilised alongside its members, and with support from its partners, Sacem launched a major operation in support of the French music scene to encourage the media, digital platforms and the public to show their commitment by broadcasting and listening to more music produced in France.
Sacem also sought new revenue sources linked to the latest broadcasting trends, signing new agreements with Twitch and Akius, for example, and coming up with a new system for exceptional remuneration from livestream concerts broadcast on free platforms. These initiatives provide opportunities for Sacem members to tap additional sources of income in the context of the abrupt halt of the music scene, even if this solidarity action won’t compensate for losses related to Covid crisis.
Today, faced with the prolongation of the pandemic and the related lockdown measures, and in the absence of a clear prospect for the resumption of cultural activities, Sacem is extending and enhancing its emergency plan with new measures from January 4.
It is therefore announcing :
- the renewal of its emergency rescue fund,
- new exceptional royalty advances
Sacem will also strengthen its support programme for publishers as well as its direct aid to songwriters and composers to support the repertoire of the Scène Française and assist professionals in relaunching their projects, in particular through the creation of a Cultural Consulting Bureau.
The support programme for publishers will consist of three components with publishing support for contemporary classical music, for modern music (electronic music, rap, jazz, world music, rock, etc…) and music for production music libraries.
Sacem members will be able to submit applications for the rescue fund and for exceptional royalty advances from January 4 through December 2021.
The remuneration system for Sacem members performing livestreams on the Facebook, Instagram, You Tube and Twitch platforms has also been renewed for the period from September 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021 for livestreams lasting more than 20 minutes.
The payment model will be based on the following terms and conditions:
The support programme for publishers will consist of three components with publishing support for contemporary classical music, for modern music (electronic music, rap, jazz, world music, rock, etc…) and music for production music libraries.
Sacem members will be able to submit applications for the rescue fund and for exceptional royalty advances from January 4 through December 2021.
The remuneration system for Sacem members performing livestreams on the Facebook, Instagram, You Tube and Twitch platforms has also been renewed for the period from September 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021 for livestreams lasting more than 20 minutes.
The payment model will be based on the following terms and conditions:
- a minimum flat-rate payment (before deduction of management fees) of €76 for a livestream lasting 20 minutes or more
- supplemented by a fee equal to the number of views recorded over the period, multiplied by €0.001 (before deduction of management fees).
- at least 1,000 views are required to be eligible
Summary of enhanced Sacem support measures
- A rescue fund for Sacem authors, composers and publishers who are in financial distress and can no longer meet their basic needs, with several tiers of non-refundable aid, depending on the recipient's situation (€300, €600, €900, €1,500, €3,000 and €5,000).
- Exceptional royalty advances (interest-free) repayable from January 2023, with instalments spread over 5 years.
- Publishing development aid programmes (contemporary classical music and contemporary popular music) to help publishers relaunch their business.
- The creation of a Cultural Consulting Bureau to support songwriters and composers in the implementation of their projects.
- An extension of the remuneration system for free livestreams, taking into account livestreams performed between September 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021.