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SUISA Board of Directors

Board meetings in the first half of 2024

Board meetings in the first half of 2024
The public loves live events: Performance rights contributed significantly to the record result in 2023, where SUISA achieved the highest income in its history roughly two years after the pandemic.
Photo: Wolfgang Rudigier
Report from the Board of Directors by Noah Martin
The SUISA Board and its standing committees dealt with a wide range of topics in the first half of the year. True to the motto: You do not rest on the laurels of the 2023 record year.

The 2023 Annual Report is more comprehensive than its predecessors. And not (only) because the figures were larger – SUISA generated around CHF 206,610,000 in revenues in 2023 – but because a transparency report is included in the annual report for the first time. But for now, back to the figures: The 2023 annual financial statements close with a profit for the rightsholders. The distribution total was once more increased by 10%. Costs were kept within budget thanks to strict spending discipline. SUISA’s wholly owned subsidiary for online business, SUISA Digital Licensing (SUDL), achieved a profit for the third year in a row in 2023.

Supplemental distribution for the rightsholders

Together with the approval of the annual financial statements for submission to the General Meeting, the Board of Directors decided to make an additional distribution in favour of the rightsholders of 1.75% of the monies invoiced to members, clients and sister organisations in the second half of 2024 and the first half of 2025 (including adjustments) as well as a bonus in favour of the employees of the SUISA Cooperative in the amount of 1.5% of the salary received in 2023.

Change in the distribution rules

Article 1.4 of the SUISA Distribution Rules (DR) governs how unclear relationships are governed when it comes to the rightsholders and the remuneration for the works. If these circumstances are unclear, the payment of funds can be blocked. If no claim has been filed after the deadline has expired, SUISA is authorised to release the funds and distribute them in accordance with the documentation in its possession.

However, it may happen that SUISA has reason to believe that its documentation is not correct and a payment on this basis appears unjustified, despite the absence of a timely complaint. For these cases, section 1.4 DR had not yet regulated how SUISA should proceed. The Board of Directors therefore decided on a new provision according to which the payment of shares can still be postponed despite the expiry of the deadline for initiating legal action if there are reasonable grounds to assume that the rightsholders could enrich themselves unlawfully.

The amendment to the distribution rules shall enter into force upon approval by the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property and the Office for Economy in the Principality of Liechtenstein.

Artificial intelligence – Swisscopyright position paper

At the end of 2023, the Federal Council commissioned the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications to draw up an overview of possible regulatory approaches to AI, with a deadline of the end of 2024. As an association of Swiss collective management organisations, Swisscopyright stands up for copyright and neighbouring rights and for the interests of rightsholders. Swisscopyright has now drawn up a position paper.

IT focus – “we are also an IT service provider”

The Board of Directors has standing committees that deal with various topics in depth and decide on them either themselves or on behalf of the Board of Directors in accordance with the order of competence. The Committee for Finance and Controlling (F+C) met in May for a meeting focussing on IT. In addition to the recurring agenda item “Update on projects”, various IT topics were scrutinised more closely. The SUISA IT department consists of around 40 employees and external contractors. Taking a look into the IT driven SUISA engine, its maintenance and further development, will remain to be an important factor in the advancement of SUISA’s strategy.

New Head of the Events Licensing Department

At the request of the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors has appointed Toni Falzetta as the new Head of the Events Licensing Department: Welcome to the SUISA team!
His predecessor, Martin Korrodi, has been in charge of the Tariffs & Distribution Rules staff unit since autumn 2023.

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