An important agenda point was the ratification of the business strategy. Management is looking ahead into the future with this strategy, defining which objectives it wishes to reach in a specified period of time. SUISA’s strategy usually covers a four-year period, currently 2016-2020. Due to the business events and plans it is subject to review several times a year. It is subdivided in four main areas:
- Cost & growth (cultivate customer relations, maximise members’ incomes, support and challenge staff members)
- Trust (members are ‘shareholders’)
- Develop copyright
- Align the business with new demands (online and offline)
For each of the main areas, facts are recorded; subsequently, the relevant measures are listed in terms of planning how to reach the strategic goals. For example, in the case of “members are our shareholders”, this means: Rethink and diversify services, standardise documentation and works registration, cultivate transparency and communication, guarantee domestic and international administration of members’ rights and assure quality via automation and process optimisation.
Increased competition in the licensing business requires measures
When it comes to the main area “align the business with new demands”, offline business was added as a new area. In the course of the last few years, there is now competition for music licences and there are new providers in the marketplace, too. These providers are no cooperative societies and do not belong to the authors as is the case for the majority of collective management organisations in Europe. They are profit-making private companies.
There are new developments in the “direct licensing” area for major concerts as well as for the collection of background music (piped music). The task at hand is to tackle the new licensing offers, to create SUISA’s own offers (tariffs) in a competitive manner, to search collaboration and to promote the legal framework conditions.
On the basis of the agreed strategy, management is now going to work on a roadmap. The latter will serve the purpose of splitting the measures into small, specific steps to which deadlines and responsibilities will be allocated.
Distribution: 8,126 members received CHF 11,093,520
SUISA distributes the majority of its tariffs on a quarterly basis. In September, collections for performances (Tariffs D, K; 1st quarter 2017), broadcasts SRG (Tariff A; 1st quarter 2017), “advertising windows” (2015) and reproduction (Tariffs PA, PI, PN, VI, 1st quarter 2017) were included in the distribution.
The remuneration was paid out to SUISA members (CHF 5,729,852.00) and to sister societies (CHF 5,363,669.00). Approx. CHF 1,229,425 were held back due to a lack of details, missing documentation etc. The reserved monies will be paid out in adjustment runs as soon as the necessary data for a correct distribution has been completed.
Collaboration between ProLitteris, SSA, SUISA, Suissimage and Swissperform
In 1993, the five Swiss collective management organisations signed the first written collaboration agreement. This was triggered by the expansion of copyright towards neighbouring rights back in the day. Before that, the societies had entertained informal exchanges and coordinated joint tariff negotiations.
In the coordination committee (KOAU) of the societies, the agreement was recently reviewed. The intention was to reflect the current situation and to simplify the collaboration in complex areas. New provisions include the process of passing resolutions as well as collection principles relating to collections on behalf of other societies. The SUISA Board has approved the revised collaboration agreement.
