Riaan-Combrink
Hi guys.
Just read the following clip in the latest online MIO-newsletter:
SAMRO under pressure!
July 14, 2008 - 12:08 PM
It is reported that the South African Music Rights Organisation (Samro) is under pressure for allegedly using millions of rands belonging to artists, musicians, composers and producers without permission.
Samro has come under fire from Nisa Global Entertainment (Pty) Ltd, who accuse it of failing local musicians.
Copyright specialist Graeme Gilfillan says Samro is supposed to be a non-profit organisation (NGO), but their cause is contradicted by their financial report, available on its website boasting of a R332,688m in listed and unlisted investments.
This article is published on Sunday World and is written by Andille April, click here to check it out.
The full article can be found at this link (under the heading: "Samro eat the fat - Musos’ ‘protection’ body wallow in luxury while artists starve" ...
http://www.sundayworld.co.za/swzones/sundayworldNEW/news/news1215904223.asp
Something all SAMRO members should take note off. I'll try and follow the story and keep you posted.
Riaan C
AlanRatcliffe
...same old, same old...
Not as bad as SARREL, but somehow, only to be expected. There is no such thing as "non-profit" where the music industry is concerned - It usually just means they are screwing the money out of you another way.
Manfred-Klose
This is what we should expect from a South African organization.......Coruption, come on everyone knows it!!
I'm busy filling in my forms to become a samro member, but i am having second thoughts now.
AlanRatcliffe
Unfair to say corruption is an African thing. Music is money, and where there is money, corrupt people gather. The same is true worldwide and the UK and US music industries pioneered most of the unfair practices that are so much part of the industry globally.
I'm not even sure if "corruption" is the right word for what SAMRO are doing. They are making money and investing it, which is what any organization tries to do (both commercial and non-profit). It's the nature of their business that money from royalties, etc. is flowing through them, and it's common sense that they should try and make some return on it as it passes through. The more they make from interest and investments in the short time they have the money, the less money they have to charge artists as commission and the more likely they are to cover costs and generally stay in business - which is to their members benefit.
What I would object to is if they are holding on paying out members so that they can make a profit, thus making life harder for them. We'll see...
Riaan
Being an outsider who knows nothing about the music industry, this quote I recently read seems rather bitter:
"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side."
--Hunter S. Thompson
Maybe a bit pessimistic?
Renesongs
I kind of got pressed ganged into joining up with SAMRO - Fine music radio who had had no problem airing my music before suddenly adopted a policy of that they don't play music by people not signed with SAMRO ☹
As for paying out royalties - I once got R750 from what I would have privately charged R2000 and since then babkas. Oh I do get a free calendar ever year and a glossy mag every couple of months that is useful for lining the budgies cage.
Yet they are not slack on collecting royalties - every restaurant, shop owner, even factories where workers play music, have to pay protection to SAMRO. A restaurant owner I know brought back some tapes of an obscure unpublished Greek folk-singer to play in his restaurant - SAMRO still demanded payolla.
In the music business as in any other business, hard work is highly rewarded but those doing the the hard work are not the ones receiving the the reward. Now if you excuse me while I bend down and take it once again for my beloved profession ☹
Manfred-Klose
Hey rene, what type of song did you compose......instrumental, pop, rock?
What radio station, and how did you do it?
AlanRatcliffe
Interesting. Was that a FMR decision or does SAMRO dictate to the radio stations? If so, short step from thee to telling club owners they can only hire artists who are SAMRO members, essentially putting nonmembers out of jobs.
They can and do collect money for payment to artists in other countries, but I don't think they can insist on collecting monies for an unsigned, unrepresented artist.
I have also heard that they occasionally use legal strongarm tactics to make small pubs and restaurants pay or stop putting on live music - even when it is unsigned bands. That kind of shows me they are more interested in the money than the musicians.
"There's a big difference between kneeling down and bending over" - Frank Zappa
Renesongs
@ Manfred I composed for Jazzart ( SA's Top Contemporary Dance Company) for a few seasons . I used sequencer software utilizing mainly orchestral and ethnic sampled instrument in an eclectic-post-baroque-ethnic-techno-funk type thing. Some of my better known works from this time would be Media, Knock-turn-blu, Junction, and Duck & Dance. One of the classical music presenters of Fine Music Radio, Fiona Chisholm, saw the shows and approached me about airing my music. That went well until SAMRO showed up - How dare I let a radio station promote my music and not charge them royalties ☹
I tried to take it further and get into music for films, I tried every angle, even forking out R9k to CAC to do a Certificate course run by a burned-out junior school drop-out on acid to try get some sort of an in ?. In the end it was to much like trying to swim up the Victoria Falls. But hey I still got my guitar so y'all better watch out now ?
Renesongs
@ Alan - I don't know for sure who knuckled who in the FMR SAMRO story. The presenter phoned to tell me that FMR management would no longer play my stuff unless I became a SAMRO member because they pay a bulk royalty fee to SAMRO blah blah blah... Reading between the lines I think that SAMRO told FMR a scare story how that these ruthless musician types will let you play their music for free now than sue the pants off you later or something like that.
Reef
Apparently SAMRO has a coffer full of 88m that is yet to distributed to musicians ☹. That's a whole lot of money they've been holding out on. Perhaps some of that is due to you, Rene.
SAMRO couldn't (technically) insist that FMR pay royalty fees to them - on your behalf naturally - if there was an agreement in place between you and FMR.
I'd guess that SAMRO wanted to see an agreement in writing and FMR thought it would be too much like hard work to have to administrate paperwork around artists who were forgoing royalties in favour of airplay/exposure.
Renesongs
SAMRO couldn't (technically) insist that FMR pay royalty fees to them
I had a spat with SAMRO a few years ago (before I was a member) Capab performed one of my works at a Durban theatre and SAMRO charged R2000 royalties on my music - Lots of letters back and forth proving that Capab were given performance rights by me - so yes SAMRO does collect royalties for unsigned non SAMRO artist. In the long run I signed with SAMRO because they kept sending me letters informing me of performances of my works across the country and on TV shows that I wasn't aware of. After I signed the illicit performances apparently vaporised. ???
Oh yeah I saw the R88m story and I am sure that a tiny bit of it is mine but how do I prove it - I have often thought of setting a trap for them. In fact I did give a CD of my music to play in a clothing store, never shown up on my royalties list.
Reef
That sounds alot like harassment.
How do they decide how much royalties to charge on your work without consulting you? ???
I wonder if SAMRO is au fait with the copyright right act.
Renesongs
I wonder if SAMRO is au fait with the copyright right.
I'm sure they are. Creative copyright is easy, you create something you own it, someone disputes it, you show work in progress (I consulted a copyright attorney years back). What SAMRO's angle is that they have a network of people to ensure that your rights are not being abused. ???
Manfred-Klose
Rene, we all know that musicians only start making money once they have died, elvis,mozart........
In the end it is your children and their children and their childrten that would make money.
ColinS
It's really sad for me to see musicians so willing to believe this garbage about SAMRO.
There are complex protocols for the collection and distribution of royalties, which involve holding funds awaiting distribution. Many composers are unaware of how long the cycle takes. It's easy to say that SAMRO is holding on to Rxxx, but first find out why this is so.
SAMRO is well-respected in the international music community. It is not in trouble at all - in fact, it is growing stronger every year. SAMRO is now a one-stop shop for all royalties: performance, mechanicals and now also Needletime.
As Chairman of the Composers Association of South Africa (CASA), I can highly recommend that everyone joins SAMRO for the protection of their rights and the collection of their royalties.
Regards
Colin Shapiro
www.composers.co.za
Renesongs
It's really sad for me to see musicians so willing to believe this garbage about SAMRO.
It is even sadder to have experienced the "this garbage" from SAMRO. ☹
Many composers are unaware of how long the cycle takes.
So maybe Manfred is right musicians only start making money once they have died ???
ColinS
It is even sadder to have experienced the "this garbage" from SAMRO.
Contact CASA with any problems and we'll try to assist. SAMRO is good but not perfect but if you do nothing, they won't improve.
sepheritoh
Thank you Colin.
As a proud member of SAMRO I have received my royalty statement for the last year, a huge sum of R2.36.
Wow. At least it is money I would otherwise not been getting. For a comparrison, my royalty statement from USA for the month was $12.50. I suppose I can call myself a proffesional now that I get this massive income. Just, I will not quit my daytime job as yet. ?
