Authors’ societies respond to COVID-19

AKM

See here for an overview of the measures AKM and the Austrian government are providing to creators and businesses.

Sabam

• Click here for Sabam’s COVID-19 page, which offers and overview of all support measures
• Early withdrawal social fund. Sabam has made €18 million available to its authors, an initiative that has been extended until the end of 2021. Read more here.
• Sabam joined the initiatives #NoCultureNoFuture and #PlayLocal:

#NoCultureNoFuture

#PlayLocal

• Sabam for Culture made available €450,000 extra to relaunch the cultural sector. Read more here.
• Sabam for Culture and PlayRight+ set up Fund Belgian Music, together with GALM and FACIR. Read more here.
• Extra music grant to boost artistic budget
• Sabam for Culture rewards artists under lockdown with €11,000
• Financial support for new theatre works
• Extra fee for (online) lectures

MUSICAUTOR

Read about the latest news about MUSICAUTOR’s efforts to help Bulgarian creators here.

HDS ZAMP

Read how HDS Zamp is working the Croatian Music Union and Ministry of Culture to support creators and the broader creative industry here.

OSA

Read how OSA is helping Czech authors apply for the next round of government support here.

Koda

Koda´s estimates €15.4million in lost revenues for 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which corresponds to almost 12 percent of total revenues. The concert area has been hit the hardest, with an expected drop in revenues of more than 60 percent, followed by the hotel and restaurant sector, where revenues are expected to drop by 20 percent.

Koda made a huge effort to adapt government aid packages and support schemes so that composers, songwriters and publishers could also have access to them and seek compensation for their lost rights income.

To this end, Koda has assisted members in calculating their individual loss estimate, adapted to the authorities’ documentation requirements, including the preparation of:

• A digital ‘loss calculator’ that calculates an estimate that Koda members must exhibit in their applications to authorities.
• A module for individual concert reporting, which will enable an accurate loss statement to be delivered at the end of the year for any follow-up adjustments.
• An application guide for Koda members.

Koda offered an advance in payout to members who suffered losses in concert-revenue from Koda income and accelerated payouts where possible.

EAÜ

EAÜ have updated their support programmes, and news grants will begin rolling out from April 1 onwards. More information about how to apply for such support will be available on the EAÜ website.

TEOSTO

TEOSTO recently added €500,000 to its existing support fund for its members.
Read more about this and other measures here.

Sacem

Sacem has extended the sizeable rescue fund it activated in March 2020 to continue helping authors suffering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the entirety of 2021.

Sacem are also still offering royalty advance payments with a generous repayment schedule.

Read the full list of Sacem’s actions here.

GEMA

Members

GEMA launched a massive Corona support package of €40 million, providing grants and advance payments of royalties to thousands of creators as early as March 2020.

GEMA has also partnered with the federal government to ensure public funding spent on cultural infrastructure (€49 million dedicated to festivals, clubs, cultural venues etc.) is properly distributed.

Read more about measures taken by GEMA here.

AUTODIA

AUTODIA’s Board will soon decide on the final details of a solidarity fund for members.

The Greek authors’ society has been in contact with relevant government ministries to secure a monthly allowance for creators and cultural and creative sector employees/freelancers.

AUTODIA met with the finance and investments ministers to explain the conditions facing creators, and to speed up measures for emergency financial support.

Τhe provision of the emergency allowance from the State started a few months ago, though not all professionals/arts workers can benefit. Despite problems with the online platform, this is the first time the State (Ministry of Labour & Social Affairs) has created an official register of artists, creators and all arts and culture professionals to compensate them during lockdown

AUTODIA has addressed a letter to the Ministries of Culture and Finance requesting that the National Strategic Plan commit 2% of the budget for the recovery needs of the Cultural and Creative Sector.

AUTODIA also asked that the government draw up a plan for the utilisation of additional resources from the REACT-EU program, so that the Cultural and Creative Sector can benefit from this EU framework.

IMRO

The Irish Music Industry COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund

A fund co-created by IMRO to financially assist music creators. To date over 450 Irish music creators have received an individual payment of €750 from this fund. The fund remains open and as additional funding becomes available it is being distributed to remaining applicants.

Minding Creative Minds

A free 24/7 wellbeing and support programme, which was fast tracked for launch in response to Covid-19.

The programme includes access to the following wellbeing services:

• 24/7 Dedicated Phone Line (Phone 1800 814 244) (Calling from NI – 0800 0903677)
• Counselling Service (Short term intervention / Up to 6 Sessions)
• Telephone Counselling 
• Secure Video Counselling
• Extensive Web Portal and App enabling live chat function with a counsellor                           

Covid-19 Helpdesk

IMRO has set up a dedicated helpdesk to assist members through this challenging time.  IMRO Member Helpdesk: covid19support@imro.ie  +353 1 6614844

IMRO Advice & Resource Section on the IMRO Website
All measures are detailed on the advice and resource section of IMRO’s website.

Seminars & Workshops
IMRO has continued to programme its regular series of membership development seminars and workshops which are now being delivered online and focus on topics to help music creators successfully navigate through the current crisis.

Government Lobbying
IMRO has lobbied government and policy makers for additional supports for the creative community. The music industry contributes over €700 million to the Irish economy annually and more than 13,000 people in Ireland work in the music sector. Acting now to protect Irish music will benefit culture, tourism, and the economy long-term.

IMRO has asked the Irish Government to:

• Put in place an emergency aid package to assist authors, composers, performers and crews who are unable to work during the crisis.
• Support creators who are having liquidity difficulties through the EU’s Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative.
• Ensure that authors, composers and performers are included in any definition of an SME for any packages introduced.
• Provide a roadmap for re-opening live performances when public health concerns allow.
• Rapidly introduce the European Copyright Directive to be transposed into Irish law as it is currently framed.

Arts and Culture Taskforce

The Taskforce formed in September is Chaired by IMRO board member Clare Duignan and also includes IMRO Chairperson Eleanor McEvoy.

Among the measures recommended by the Taskforce include a three-year pilot programme of a “universal basic income” (UBI) for the creative community in Ireland. Other recommendations include amendments to the Tax Code, supports for the Arts Budgets of Local Authorities, the immediate transposition into Irish law of the European Union (EU) Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, and particular support for Live Event Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s) currently excluded from the COVID-19 Restrictions Support Scheme.

Summary of Report Recommendations

SIAE

SIAE adopted further emergency measures in September 2020, including:

• The creation of an emergency solidarity fund amounting to €500,000, used to deliver 2,500 food packages directly to members in financial difficulties and/or suffering health problems
• Extraordinary financial contributions to former beneficiaries of subsidies from the Solidarity Fund, each amounting to €5,000
• Further mid-term measures totalling €110 million, within which is a fund of €50 million euros, for multi-annual interest-free loans to.

The Ministry of Culture has entrusted SIAE to pay the contributions financed through the 10% cultural deduction from private copy remuneration to authors and performing artists, up to €13.5 million. The average contribution amounted to €2,300.

From an additional fund intended to support collective management organisations and independent management entities, €7.5 million will be allocated to SIAE in order to support the society directly and another €7.5 million will be paid by SIAE to its members.

BUMA

Shortly after the start of the COVID-19 crisis, Buma/Stemra set aside € 2,750,000 to support music professionals with the Music Emergency Fund, launched at the beginning of May. As part of the additional funding for the cultural sector, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science released €5,000,000 for the ‘Support Fund for the Rights Sector’, an initiative of the Federation of Copyright Interests. € 2,475,000 of this is available for the Music Investment Fund.

More information here.

TONO

TONO recently recieved part of NOK40 million (aprox. €40 million) in funding to compensate authors for their lost income. More information here.

ZAiKS

Since March 2020, ZAiKS has allocated over PLN 90 million (ca.€20 million) to financial assistance programs.

Emergency relief fund

Non-refundable allowances for ZAiKS members who apply. Since March 2020, ZAiKS has paid over PLN 2 million of such grants. This sum is greater than all the funds previously spent to provide financial assistance over the past decade.

Advanced payments

Members of ZAiKS have always had the opportunity to request advance payments for their future income, limited to a half of the sum of the royalties paid in the previous year. In 2020, the number of such payments grew immensely – the requests were processed in a matter of days and we paid out over PLN 10 million.

Creativity support fund

• Our Creativity Support Fund has also offered help, subject to certain limitations, to non-members and to the cultural institutions. Any person who pursues their creative work can apply for a one-off grant of PLN 5,000. The applications are processed continuously, and not restricted to the dates established for this procedure. The money that has been paid out by the Fund since the beginning of the pandemic already exceeds PLN 11 million.

Rapid royalty payments

Working remotely is the rule for vast majority of ZAiKS offices, but it hasn’t hampered efficiency. Artists have already received over PLN 20 million in April 2020, PLN 12 million in June 2020, PLN 17 million in July 2020, and PLN 17 million in November 2020.

Christmas bonus

PLN 1 million was distributed in December 2020 for a special Christmas bonus of PLN 1,000 to each ZAiKS member who is over 70 years old. This small token was our attempt to compensate for the lack of appropriate government assistance for artists and creators in Poland.

ZAiKS is advocating for government funds to combat the effects of the pandemic in the long-term. The effects on royalty collections will be most severely felt in 2021, as 2020 was actually a record year for ZAIKS’ royalty distributions, which amounted to over PLN 400 million.

SPAutores

SPA is continuing to offer emergency funds in the form of grants, offering advances on royalty payments and support for cultural projects. All totalling to more than 5€ million.

Dialogue and negotiation with local governments regarding live events is still ongoing, and SPA continues to make new agreements for online licensing solutions.

The Portuguese government has responded in a number of areas to support the cultureal sector.

SOZA

Instead of holding its annual awards ceremony to recognize members’ achievements, SOZA cancelled the ceremony split the money between authors. Through this, authors were at least able to cover their basic needs at the beginning of the pandemic.

SOZA also created a special emergency fund and setup offers of advanced royalty payments.

The society is also in regular talks with Slovakia’s Ministry of Culture, providing information about the cultural sector so they can receive adequate government assistance.

SGAE

As well as continuing the emergency funds that were created last, SGAE has been running a campaign in tribute to creators and the cultural sector.

Read more information here.

Stim

Stim have enabled advanced payments for both music creators and publishers, and reinforced scholarships from 2020 so that 300 extra affiliated members can receive scholarships.

Stim’s Council for the Promotion of New Music has launched support for live streaming of concerts.

The society is also continuously polling affiliated songwriters and publishers on how they are coping with the current situation.