While 2019 was a year of strong growth, marked by solid results in terms of royalties collection and distribution, the health crisis of 2020 has hit our society very hard.
2020 will go down in history as a dark year for the cultural sector: deserted stages, shuttered public spaces where music had been played, plunging advertising revenue across all media, creators and publishers deprived of copyright income…
Sacem reacted very quickly to the consequences of the health crisis with a set of emergency measures to help its members and secure their income over the long term through exceptional advances.
We have also set up a system to compensate artists for livestreams, which have exploded on Internet platforms amid lockdown measures.
Sacem’s transformation over recent years has given it the agility to respond to this unprecedented crisis.
This annual report recounts Sacem’s first months in 2020: the solidarity, responsibility and sense of community that will always form the foundation of its commitment. But it also tells the story of 2019, a year during which its transformation accelerated to best meet the needs of its 176,150 members and 500,000 music-using customers.
It was a year marked by the signing of new international contracts that underscored Sacem’s growing appeal. 2019 also saw the adoption of the directive on the modernisation of copyright in the digital single market, a historic, victorious campaign Sacem actively participated in, alongside other professional organisations.
In an increasingly competitive environment where new business models are emerging that are alternatives to collective management and to authors’ right, and amid ever-growing uncertainties about revenue sources for authors, composers and publishers, Sacem’s transformation continues. Between 2012 and 2019, collections increased by 28.9%. Expenses, which rose mainly because of IT investments, are under control, and Sacem now distributes 85% of what it collects.
There will be many challenges to meet in 2020. Sacem, the flagship for collective management across the world, will respond in ways that reflect the full meaning of its new tagline: Together, let's make music happen.
Published September 25 2020