FIM

Website of the International Federation of Musicians

EU | Fair Internet campaign event

Published on December 8, 2016 by FIM

Filed under: Collective management, Europe, Intellectual property

5 December 2016, Brussels | Performers call on European legislators to ensure fair treatment of performers in the digital world

Key representatives of the FAIR INTERNET campaign, which represent over 500,000 musicians, singers, actors and dancers in Europe, gathered on Dec. 5th for their yearly event in Brussels to take stock of the Commission’s draft Directive on Copyright with European Commission officials, Members of the European Parliament and Member States’ representatives.

The fair remuneration of performers from on-demand services (iTunes, Netflix, Spotify, …) was at the heart of the discussion with unanimous support from performers for the European Parliament and Member States to make key changes to the current draft Directive.
Read more

Africa | Union reshaping underway in Zimbabwe?

Published on October 7, 2016 by FIM

Filed under: Africa, Intellectual property, Labour rights

With the TUMAI union, FIM organised a union training workshop in Harare (Zimbabwe) from 21 to 24 September 2016, with the support of Union To Union. Two local musicians’ unions took part: TUMAI (recently a FIM member once more) and ZIMU (created in 2014).

Unfortunately, TUMAI has had to come to terms with the sudden demise of its General Secretary, George Emmanuel, who was actively engaged in preparing this meeting.

The workshop focused on union organisation and action. The current backdrop is particularly difficult:
• artists are not backed by public authorities
• related rights in copyright are not enshrined in law
• levies due by broadcasters are not paid or are paid at a ridiculously low rate
• the level of piracy is such that the country’s largest record company, Gramma, cannot sell off its CDs even at the price of $1, since pirates are flooding the market with compilations at 50 cents!
Read more

Copyright | Disappointment for performers after the European Commission’s proposal

Published on September 20, 2016 by FIM

Filed under: Europe, Intellectual property, Online music

On Thursday 14 September 2016, the European Commission issued its proposed directive on copyright in the Single Digital Market. This communication was on the same day that President Juncker was making his 2016 State of the Union Address.

Declarations made on this occasion by Commission representatives are not lacking in ambition, or even emphasis. Thus, we like to hear Jean-Claude Juncker when he states: “Artists and creators are own crown jewels. The creation of content is not a hobby. It is a profession.
Read more

Extended collective management in Hungary | EJI forces Deezer to comply with the law

Published on April 13, 2016 by FIM

Filed under: Intellectual property, Online music

When the WPPT was transposed in 1999, Hungarian legislation subjected online rights for authors and performers to extended collective management. This choice was in response to the massive character of online uses and significant imbalance in negotiations between artists and producers.

Since collective management is not, however, mandatory, performers and authors are free to opt individually for other forms of managing their rights.

An agreement was signed in 2004 between EJI (the organisation for collective management of performers’ rights) and Majors.
Read more

The Fair Internet campaign reaches Asia

Published on February 19, 2016 by FIM

Filed under: Asia, Collective management, Intellectual property, Online music

On 16 and 17 December 2015 in Tokyo, Japan hosted the 2nd FIM conference on online music, organised in collaboration with the Musicians’ Union of Japan MUJ and with the support of CPRA-Geidankyo.

Introduced by FIM President John Smith, MUJ President Takeshi Shinohara and MZTSZ President Lázsló Gyimesi, the conference opened on a keynote from Ambassador Seiichi Kondo. It was run by twenty or so speakers and moderators from various countries representing the music sector and the university world.
Read more

Senegal | SODAV at last authorised to operate

Published on February 10, 2016 by FIM

Filed under: Africa, Collective management, Intellectual property

On 4 February 2016, Mr. Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, signed the authorization enabling the Senegalese copyright and related rights society (SODAV) to replace the Bureau sénégalais du droit d’auteur (BSDA) [Senegalese copyright bureau], in line with the law of 25 January 2008.

As early as 2008, this law made provision for the BSDA –an organisation under the authority of the Ministry of Culture– to be replaced by a civil society controlled by artists, but it was not until 9 April 2015 that the implementing decree was enacted.
Read more

France | MOU for online music

Published on November 11, 2015 by FIM

Filed under: Intellectual property, Online music

After bitter negotiations, a memorandum of understanding for online music was signed in France on 2 October 2015, between representatives of the music industry and a certain number of professional organisations including French members of FIM, FIA and IAO, under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture.

This memorandum came about within the scope of the “Creation Act” currently being discussed by the French Parliament. It makes provision for:
• An evaluation of the economy of the phonographic publishing sector based on transparency of data, the creation of an observatory and new obligations for producers;
• Providing a framework for managing reductions applied by producers in artists’ contracts, particularly with regard to the digital sector;
• A code of conduct for platforms, producers and performers;
• Enhancing the highlighting of works and artistic diversity;
• A minimum remuneration guarantee for leading performers;
• Including all producers’ revenues into the remuneration calculation base;
• The setting-up of an employment assistance fund for all performers working in the recorded music sector.
Read more

FIM-MUJ Conference on online music | Tokyo, 16-17 Dec. 2015

Published on August 21, 2015 by FIM

Filed under: Asia, Intellectual property, Online music, Public policies

While music streaming services are significantly on the increase and taking the place of traditional radio as a special channel of access to online music, more and more artists are openly speaking out to claim a fair share of revenues generated by the exploitation of their recordings on the Internet.

The Fair Internet campaign –of which FIM is one of the partners– is gaining ground at European level, and through it we hope to see European Union institutions taking performers’ legitimate expectations into account.
Read more

1 2 3 … 6 Next »

Page 1 of 6 1 2 3

FIM