News

Music is a great leveller. Old, young, rich or poor – most of us enjoy listening to a few tunes. It relaxes us, sets a tone – and can even make us happier and more productive.
And you don’t have to take our word for it. A new study of some 1 000 companies in the UK has revealed that around three quarters of business leaders think music at work is a good idea for both staff and customers – raising morale and creating a better atmosphere.
Pub, club and bar owners are the biggest advocates of music in the workplace. A remarkable 93% swear by playing tunes to keep staff and customers happy – and over half would rather shut up shop for a day than work in a silent environment.
And music is good for productivity too. Most of those surveyed believe that worker output increases if music is playing – a trend that is shared across all industries. Now that’s heartening news in today’s current economic climate!

Author societies work hard to make things easier for their members and for the general public.

NCB – a Norway-based author society – is just one society that have put together handy jargon buster tools that explains some of the technical terms that can sometimes be used when we talk about issues related to rights.

The NCB is just one society that puts together this kind of resource.  We’re delighted to be sharing it and applaud their good work!

–          What do you consider will be the biggest challenge for SABAM in the months and years to come?

Sabam meets many important challenges.  The two most important at the moment are:

Improving the external image of SABAM by totally reviewing its approach to communication and involvement in cultural sponsorship.Starting, one way or another, with decent Internet collections from Access Providers.

–          How important are authors’ societies like SABAM for Belgium today?

Collective management is the guarantee that culture and creation can keep on existing, and this isn’t just big ideas.  By its totally private/non-public nature, a collecting society gives creators the chance to live independently from the revenue of their creations and to participate in national culture, which is the basis of a national or a sub-national identity.

–          What does your daily work consist of?

Making sure Sabam will be able to meet the challenges and secure its role in serving its members.

–          What are your views on EU policy toward authors’ societies?  What are you expecting from the EU institutions?

The European Union seems to be quite divided on the issue of authors’ societies.  Some Commissioners clearly want to help us, some consider us as their enemies.  Collective management and copyright are very topical  issues in the European Parliament.  The EU should try to have a better multi-disciplinary vision of all the challenges that intellectual property and its management are faced with.  It should try to have a more clear and better coordinated understanding of the impact of the digital era on creation.  This should proceed from a longer term strategy. We aren’t gangsters.  An in-depth dialogue should be(re-)opened.

–          Cross border licensing is an issue for EU officials. What is the role of SABAM in the EU digital market?  What are the challenges in this global market? Is there room for the Belgium music abroad?

Sabam issues licenses to any online user in Belgium.  Currently, our role is mainly national, due to the fragmentation of the repertoires. The challenges are monetizing the uses of our repertoire. We should also be much better lobbyists in defending our interests against those of enormous users like Google. Belgian music is not as well-known as Belgian chocolates, but Belgian music and films are  appreciated abroad, and some 10% of our incomes are generated in other countries.

–          Transparency and governance of collecting societies is sometimes challenged.  What can be improved?

Sabam is now really cutting edge on this issue.  We have adopted a Charter of Corporate Governance, a code of deontology and an audit charter.  All these elements are a logical piece of the respect we have for our members, and of the efficiency they deserve.

Come rain or shine, festivals are an increasingly popular fixture on Europe’s summer agenda. In recent times, it seems as though each year brings forth a new batch – each one with its own unique appeal.

The expansion and diversification of the festivals on offer means there’s now something to suit all tastes and ages, which explains why more and more of us are getting involved.

But did you know that authors’ societies are behind many of the festivals you might find yourself at this summer? For example, Sabam – the Brussels-based author society – will be sponsoring numerous Belgium festivals in 2012, from five-day rock fest the Dour festival to the Francofolies, a folksy celebration of French song.

In Spain, the Fundación Autor SGAE is gearing up to mark the International Day of Music on June 21 by organising a whole host of free concerts that will take place in Barcelona, Bilbao, Santiago de Compostela and Valencia.

There’s more to festivals than just having a good time. A recent study of 841 festivals in France by the author society Sacem reveals that they bought in funds of about 12 million euros for their members in 2011, demonstrating that their importance is economic as well as cultural.

And of course, live music isn’t the reserve of summer festivals. New research by PRS For Music shows that the top 100 live music venues in the UK alone put on an incredible 13,781 concerts last year, demonstrating just how important live music is to local and national economic growth. The Southbank Centre in London I stop of the list – hosting 422 musical events over the year, attended by over one million people.