Brussels is scarcely getting back into gear following the Christmas break, yet already we’re looking ahead to 2013. There is plenty going on across the Brussels-based institutions that we will be heavily involved with in the year to come – so stay tuned for updates here!
Here are just a few of the highlights:
We’re delighted that the European Parliament’s Culture and Education Committee has voted in – with near unanimity – a revised Report on the Creative Europe Programme. European Peoples’ Party Spokesman for the dossier Jean-Marie Cavada says he is confident that, in its current form, the report can now address the common challenges that the cultural and audiovisual sectors face.
Creative Europe – promoting economic growth, employment, innovation and social cohesion
The cultural and creative sectors hold untapped potential for economic growth and jobs – not to mention creative diversity – in Europe. The Creative Europe funding Programme will endeavour to ensure that these sectors can seize the opportunities that the digital age offers them. It is worth €1.8 billion, and is set to apply from 2014 through to 2020.
Improvements to the original text
The Commission published the first draft of the report in November 2011. Concerned that the original text was too vague and ‘purely economic’ Jean-Marie Cavada worked hard with the dossier’s rapporteur to amend it to suit the needs of the culture and media professionals at the heart of Europe’s creativity. The new text includes the following revisions:
Potential gains
According to the Commission, once up-and-running the Creative Europe Programme will provide funding for:
Commenting, Jean-Marie Cavada said “With this vote, the proposal has gained the coherence it lacked.”
We’re delighted with the efforts made by the European Parliament on the dossier, and look forward to seeing cultural professionals enjoy the fruits of their labours in the years to come!
An exciting and innovative new deal between SABAM and Google has got 2013 off to a flying start for the Belgian author society’s 36 000 members.
What’s the deal?
The new deal establishes a licensing relationship between Google and SABAM, granting Google a single point of access for the multi-territorial use of SABAM’s repertoire – 4 million creations – on Google Play.
This bilateral relationship cuts out the usual intermediaries, local author societies, in the licensing and rights management process.
More efficiency = faster payment
The more streamlined method means that authors will have less time to wait before being paid the revenue that they are owed for the use of their music.
A European first for a medium-sized author society
Until now, SABAM has only granted licenses for the online use of its members’ works in Belgium where it is based, referring usage abroad to its sister companies in the countries concerned.
This deal makes SABAM the first medium-sized author society in the European Union to offer a single point of access for the use of its repertoire across multiple territories.
Christophe Depreter, SABAM’s CEO, says “This agreement anticipates the objectives of transparency and greater efficiency decreed by the European Commission in its proposal for a directive on collective management societies.”
Authorsocieties.eu congratulates SABAM for its innovative collaboration with Google that promises real benefits to its members – and to music fans everywhere!
We’d like to thank everyone who has visited our site in 2012 – it’s been quite a year for author societies.eu since our site was launched in April!
Here are some of our highlights: