Paris-based Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (SACEM) has unveiled a €6 million ($6.7m) fund and advances on royalties as part of emergency measures to help its author, composer & publisher members during the Coronavirus crisis.
The organization’s support package follows last week’s announcement that German performing rights organization GEMA has launched an emergency aid fund worth up to €40m ($43m) for its songwriter and composer members.
British collection society PRS for Music has also launched an immediate PRS Emergency Relief Fund to support its members during the Coronavirus pandemic, which will see grants up to a value of £1,000 awarded based on assessment of individual need.
Sacem says that the emergency measures include an “exceptional royalty advance” scheme worth up to €36m ($40.4m), a €6m ($6.7m) rescue fund for those most in need, and the addition of €1m ($1.12m) to an existing support program for publishers.
The organization says that the operational arrangements for the emergency fund will be active as soon as Thursday, April 2.
Sacem members can apply for support via the membership area on sacem.fr. The first support payments will be made the following week.
Sacem’s €6m ($6.7m) rescue fund – for members “who can no longer meet their own basic needs” – will pay grants of up to €1,500 ($1,680), €3,000 ($3,370) or €5,000 ($5,600), depending on individual situations.
The rescue fund will be managed jointly by the Sacem members’ Comité du Coeur and by the social affairs department at Sacem.
Meanwhile, Sacem members can also apply for “exceptional royalty advances”, of which the total amount paid out could reach €36m ($40.4m) if all eligible members take advantage of the scheme.
Advances can be requested over a year, and their reimbursement will be deferred beyond 2021 and may be spread out over a maximum of five years.
Finally, Sacem’s existing aid program for publishers, run by the organization’s cultural action team, will get additional funding of €1m ($1.12m).
The program will also broaden its criteria in an effort to see publishers through the crisis period and support their recovery.
“Solidarity is at the heart of Sacem’s values.”
Bruno Lion, Sacem
Bruno Lion, Chairman of the Sacem Board, said: “Solidarity is at the heart of Sacem’s values. Since its founding, Sacem has been with its members at every stage of their lives, not only in distributing the royalties it collects, but also through its cultural action and solidarity networks.
“In these difficult times, the meaning of this commitment shines through. We can be proud of our collective strength in the service of creation, authors, composers and their publishers.
“More than ever, in times of crisis, our purpose is: Together, let’s make music live!”
“Today, we are taking a series of strong, urgent measures to help our members as best we can in a situation of unprecedented gravity.”
Jean-Noël Tronc, Sacem
Jean-Noël Tronc (pictured), Chief Executive Officer of Sacem, added: “Sacem is totally mobilized for its members. Our business continuity plan, thanks to all of our teams’ working from home, is allowing us to remain available remotely.
“The April 6 distribution of royalties will happen on schedule. Today, we are taking a series of strong, urgent measures to help our members as best we can in a situation of unprecedented gravity.
“We are also calling on public authorities to take into account, in the measures they are putting into place, the specific nature of the professions of authors and composers, who are not salaried employees and should be able to benefit from the kinds of measures the self-employed are getting, and of the music publishers as well, who usually are classified as Very Small Enterprises (TPE in French), but whose economic model does not correspond to the programmes already announced.”Music Business Worldwide
