French performing rights society SACEM and local television giant Canal+ Group have signed a global agreement regarding the payment of royalties for the use of works in SACEM’s repertoire, across all Canal+ Group’s channels and services.
As previously reported by MBW, the news comes after months of Canal+ refusing to pay authors royalties on tracks used on its network.
Under the agreement, Canal+ Group will pay SACEM all sums due for 2017 under the contracts it manages for all authors’ societies, and to submit details of the works used, so that the sums collected can be distributed as soon as possible to the creators and publishers concerned.
Canal+ is owned by Vivendi – the parent company of Universal Music Group and Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG).
SACEM is dropping all pending legal proceedings which it now considers ‘no longer relevant… following the agreement’.
“SACEM has defended the interests of its members uncompromisingly, to guarantee everyone the fairest remuneration terms.”
Jean-Noël Tronc, SACEM (pictured)
SACEM and Canal+ Group have also entered into a new agreement with a minimum duration of two years as of January 1, 2018.
SACEM said this would ‘enable creators to receive payment in a satisfactory way’.
SACEM’s Chief Executive Officer Jean-Noël Tronc said: “SACEM has defended the interests of its members uncompromisingly, to guarantee everyone the fairest remuneration terms. Once again, SACEM has demonstrated the importance of the collective management model in defending the rights of creators.
“We hope that the strategic repositioning of Canal+ Group will allow it to successfully re-establish itself to the benefit of the entire creative ecosystem”.
Jean-Christophe Thiery, Chairman of the Canal+ Group Management Board, commented: “Canal+ Group is delighted to have entered this new partnership with SACEM for the coming years, which takes into account our new offers to subscribers and particularly the amount of sports on our channels and in our packages.
“With this agreement, our Group renews its commitment to the financing of creation and support of authors in France”.Music Business Worldwide
