What should Sacem take away from 2023?
In 2023, Sacem achieved significant milestones in its transformation. These financial results reflect its steadfast commitment to defending and enriching its creative heritage.
Our collections reached €1.487 billion, up 5% on the previous year: proof that the actions implemented from the end of 2021 under the Sacem 3.0 plan are bearing fruit.
This year, we managed to reduce our ratio of net operating expenses to collections to 10.76%, thanks to a roadmap focused on the continuous improvement of our operating efficiency. This is an all-time record, and it underscores our determination to increase productivity and control costs.
What does this mean for members?
We want these excellent results to benefit all our members, whatever their status, repertoire or type of membership, in keeping with the spirit of mutualism and solidarity that underpins our authors' society.
This is why, in addition to the sums distributed to our rights holders for the use of their works (€1.233 billion in 2023), we are investing heavily in support for our members, social protection and cultural activities.
The technological revolutions we are living through are accelerating a little more each day, presenting destabilising forces for some of our members.
It's up to us to listen to them and be there to support them.
I have therefore decided to strengthen and broaden the scope of action of Sacem's Social Protection and Training Department, to make it even more effective, from 2024 onwards.
How is Sacem dealing with these technological upheavals?
Innovation is at the heart of our business model.
Internally, we are of course working to integrate artificial intelligence into the tools all our professions use, to make them more manageable and efficient.
For our members and customers, we are developing a comprehensive range of customised services, such as a new portal for entities that have given Sacem mandates, and MusicStart, a free service for protecting works using the blockchain.
We are also doing our utmost to ensure that the development of digital technology and the creation of new distribution channels represent a genuine opportunity to create value for our members, and that the remuneration model remains virtuous for the greatest number of people. This is why Sacem pays close attention to the agreements it has with streaming platforms; we renegotiated several key agreements in 2023, including those with Apple Music, Spotify and Deezer.
Do you feel that copyright has been weakened in this period of change?
The rapid development of generative artificial intelligence presents a major challenge for all of us, as demonstrated by the study we conducted with Gema on the impact of AI on music and creators' rights.
Sacem took concrete steps very early on, such as exercising our right to opt out, in an effort to restore the exclusive rights of our members and protecting them from generative AI players who would use their works without authorisation or proportionate remuneration.
Sacem continued to defend its members’ interests in all legislative and regulatory battles in 2023.
For example, it has taken a stance on major issues such as funding – for the Centre national de la musique and for public broadcasting – and the regulation of artificial intelligence in France and Europe.
What are Sacem's international plans?
International development remains a pillar of our strategy. In 2023, more than 50,000 Sacem members received royalties from abroad, and new members from all over the world are joining us every day. In 2024, new agreements will further strengthen our appeal and our capacity for international activity.
What are the next steps?
We will continue to implement our strategic plan in 2024, with ambitious projects designed to strengthen our presence alongside our members, in France and around the world, and to maximise the value of each work we are privileged to represent.
Just as Sacem wants to be efficient for its members, it also seeks to be useful for everyone – for its clients, its partners, and for all those who make music or who simply love it. More than ever, Sacem's role makes sense in a society beset by generational, social and territorial divides: it helps to create social links by enabling music to be created and distributed to all audiences, throughout France.
In a landscape filled with immense challenges, we continue to evolve to strengthen our capacity for innovation and remain the undisputed leader in the collective management of authors' rights and the protection of creativity for the benefit of all.
