Our Mission

The origin of copyright and Sacem

It all began with Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1732- 1799), who at various times in his life, was an inventor, musician, publisher, horticulturist, revolutionary (both French and American), and playwright (The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro).

Tired of seeing his plays being brought out without his consent and without being paied, whereas everyone else involved, such as the actors or set and costume designers were remunerated, he founded in 1791 the Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers -‘société des auteurs et compositeurs dramatiques’, SACD, which is in charge of defending the rights of dramatic authors.

At “Les Ambassadeurs Café-Concert” on the Champs-Elysée, the author-composer Ernest Bourget refused to pay his bill, saying that he owed nothing to the owner of the café since he used his work for his own profit without paying royalties to remunerate the author. The ensuing trial led, on September 8th 1847, to the ban of playing Ernest Bourget’s works in this café-concert and the letter also received indemnities for damages.

The decision of the Court of Justice of Paris, on April 28th 1849 was favorable to the remuneration of authors and also guaranteed the legitimacy of the principle of authors’ rights, i.e. the exclusive rights of the author of a piece in view of its dissemination and reproduction.

In 1849, the foundation/cornerstone for a , “Le Syndicat des Auteurs, Compositeurs & Editeurs de Musique” was laid, bringing together authors, composers and publishers of music. One year later the structure of this labor union changed into a civil society that was officially recognized by a notary in Paris, on January 31st 1851,as the Society of Authors, Composers and Publisher of Music, SACEM. The purpose of the Society being the “mutual protection” of its members “with respect to producers of entertainment and public establishments performing musical works.”

The Repertoire

Very quickly, the repertoire grew from café-concert to other kinds of music.

In 25 years, SACEM represents the biggest and the least known names in our music and cultural history: Gioacchino Rossini, Hector Berlioz, Giuseppe Verdi, Richard Wagner, Maurice Ravel, Georges Bizet, Charles Gounod, Camille Saint-Saëns, Jacques Offenbach, Aristide Bruant, as well as Victor Hugo, Eugène Labiche, Jules Verne, Théophile Gauthier, Alphonse Daudet and many others.

International Implantation

The Paris based structure becomes national (181 agencies in 1858) and quickly international (Belgium, Switzerland, England, Russia, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria-Hungary,…). With these intermediate agencies, SACEM eases the emergence of national author societies.

Why SACEM in Luxembourg ?

Radio Luxembourg’s programs have always played French music, therefore SACEM has been asked by its members to collect their author rights, and to extend its activity to the Luxembourgish territory from where Radio Luxembourg broadcasted its program to France.

Subsequently, many Luxembourgish authors and composers joined SACEM. In order to be able to cover the needs and demands of the lather, and under the guidance of Bob Krieps, SACEM created together with the SDRM a Luxembourgish author rights society SACEM Luxembourg civil society on 1st January 2003.

SACEM Luxembourg represents authors and composers from all over the world and has the authority given by the law to collect and distribute royalties, thereby playing a crucial economic role to preserve musical creation. To guarantee authors’ intellectual property rights over their works is their priority.

Legislation

This principle was new and it took some time before it could get transposed into legal texts.

Even if, after the French revolution and especially with the “décret de la Constituante” from 1791, author rights were already recognized as such, but it was not before 10th Mai 1898, that the bill on author rights was passed in the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg

This regulation should remain until 1972, when it got replaced by the law of 29th march 1972, which got amended in 1997 in order to consider the development of technology and respect European legislation.

On 18th April 2001, a new bill on author’s rights, neighboring rights and databases was adopted by the Luxembourgish government and remains in place today.

The actions taken by SACEM Luxembourg are based on the grounds set forth in Sections 3 and 4 of the Act from 18th April 2001, on author’s rights, guarantying the exclusive right to authorize the reproduction and communication to the public of the author’s work.

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Authors' societies

Unable to grant authorizations for the many reproductions and public broadcasts of their works themselves, and to ensure that they are remunerated, authors and composers have set up collecting societies to defend their rights.

The world's authors' societies have signed reciprocity agreements with each other, enabling each of them to represent the repertoires of all the others within its territory.

On behalf of the world's authors, composers and publishers, they grant authorization for the public performance and reproduction of their works, and collect royalties which they redistribute to the rightful owners.

In order to satisfy the demand of authors and composer living in Luxembourg and to take different priorities of the Grand-Duchy better into account, SACEM and SDRM created on 8th November 2002 a Luxembourgish author’s rights society to guarantee authors’ and composers’ intellectual property rights over their works. The society operating under the name “SACEM Luxembourg” is a civil society and began its activities on 1st January 2003.

The General Meeting of SACEM Luxembourg elects its six members of the new Supervisory Board. It also appoints the manager of the society, deliberates on the approval of the Annual Financial Statements and on the draft report covering the activities of the manager.

General Meeting

The General Meeting of SACEM Luxembourg elects its six members of the new Supervisory Board. It also appoints the manager of the society, deliberates on the approval of the Annual Financial Statements and on the draft report covering the activities of the manager.

It appoints the company's manager, decides on the approval of the company's annual accounts and the manager's activity report.

The Board of directors

The Board of directors is composed of 3 representatives of the SACEM and SDRM and by 3 representatives of authors and composers residing in Luxembourg.

The Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and Secretary of the Advisory Committee of Rightsholders shall participate in the meetings of the Board of Directors.

The current composition of the Board of Directors:

Claude LEMESLE, auteur, président d’honneur du C.A. de la SACEM
Cécile RAP-VEBER, Directrice général de la SACEM
David EL-SAYEGH, Secrétaire général de la SACEM
Anselme PAU, compositeur, président de la commission consultative
Priscila DA COSTA, autrice/compositrice, présidente de la commission consultative
Elvis DUARTE , Editeur, vice-président de la commission consultative
Georges GOERNES, secrétaire de la commission consultative

Management

SACEM Luxembourg, consisting of a team of 6 people and its manager, Mr. Marc Nickts, covers the entire Luxembourgish territory.

The Supervisory Board

A Supervisory Board is established, consisting of two members, elected by the Annual Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders, for a renewable term of three years.

Gast WALTZING, composer
Roland WILTGEN, composer

Societies of authors with which SACEM has reciprocity agreements

Please take a look at the interactive map (FR): Interactive map (PDF)

Sacem Luxembourg is validly mandated to grant authorizations by the articles 3 and 4 of the Law of 18 April 2001 on author rights that requires the authorization of the author himself for any copied or published communication of a work.

It is also in charge of collecting royalties which are remitted directly to the author.

SacemLuxembourg hence interferes anywhere where music is broadcasted and reproduced publicly, such as, in cafés, bars, nightclubs, cinemas, concerts, balls, radio, television, internet, shops,…

What does Sacem do?

Whenever there is a public performance of one of its members' musical works or a song is being reproduced, SACEM intervenes.

Sacem collects from broadcasters, organizers of shows and major phonogram and videogram producers, programs of the songs being played and reproduces, in order to distribute the sums collected between the beneficiaries.

The origin of copyright

Whenever there is a public performance of one of its members' musical works or a song is being reproduced, SACEM intervenes.

Any person or entity using music or reproducing it on media must get a license to do so and pay royalties which go to the authors, composers and publishers. SACEM licenses the public performances of its members' musical works. A public performance is one that occurs either in a public place where people gather (other than a small circle of a family or social acquaintances). A public performance is also one that is transmitted to the public, for example, over the radio or TV broadcasts, and via the Internet.

By authorizing, in the form of contracts, the public broadcasting of protected works: television, radio, concerts, balls, nightclubs, cinemas, public places playing music, or, in form of SDRM, the reproduction of songs on phono- or videogram.

By collecting royalties from the users. The amount of these fees is determined by the type of service that is provided by the music. This way, SACEM receives a percentage of the revenue coming from the exploitation of music when it is essential. The fee is calculated at a fixed rate, whenever music only plays a “secondary“role.

By collecting from broadcasters, organizers of shows and major phonogram and videogram producers, programs of the songs being played and reproduces, in order to distribute the sums collected between the beneficiaries.

Programs

The programs of the songs that are being played are regularly issued by radio and TV stations, organizers of shows and concerts, sound engineers, artist-performers, and phonogram and producers.

By analyzing these programs SACEM is able to distribute the corresponding sums among the right owners of the played works.

Example : A song is being played on RTL. The radio station issues then, on a monthly basis, a summary of all the songs they played, which includes information allowing the fair distribution of the royalties: title, name of the author, date and time when the song was played, duration,…

Producers of video- and phonograms (record producers) also communicate for each CD, tape or vinyl, the titles that are being reproduced, as well as the number of copies sold.

80% of the rights allocated are distributed this way, track by track. This is one of the highest rates among the authors' rights organisations in the world, in the field of music.

The Elements of music consumption gathered by SACEM

Playing music in public spaces such as restaurants, shops, waiting rooms, fun fairs, … makes it impossible for the owner to provide all the information necessary (such as a tracklist) in order to collect and distribute the royalties.

In order to be able to distribute royalties, SACEM clusters all the data collected (in particular statistical data), by taking into account consumers habits. Particularly reference is made to the musical programs of shows and radio stations, as well as to the reproduction on media of works.

5% of the fees collected are distributed as royalties.

Necessary information regarding the distribution

The redistribution of the royalties depends on :

The information provided by the members when declaring their works : title, genre, duration, name and the “role” of the right holder (author, composer, adapter?, arranger, publisher,…)

The programs of the distributed/broadcasted or reproduced works issued by the clients (television, radio, organizers if shows and concerts, record producers,…) or surveys that are made when it is impossible for the consumer to establish a work by work list/program (balls, nightclubs, jukeboxes,…).

Thus, SACEM has knowledge of:

The amounts paid by broadcasters and producers
The works broadcasted and why or where they were played
The Names of authors, composers, publishers of the works
The duration of each work

Everything you need to know about the distribution of the collected royalties by Sacem.

Click here for more information about the distribution rules.

SACEM distributes the collected royalties

All the fees collected are distributed as royalties, after deducting operating expenses and funds dedicated to social actions and cultural programs.

The distribution is done in two stages:

Affectation for each work:

Publicly performed works (originating from public broadcasting): also known as performing rights. The royalties for each song are based on the duration and the number of times they were played.

Reproduced works (CD, audio tapes and video) : also known as mechanical royalty or reproduction right. The royalties for each song are based on the duration and the number of copies reproduced.

Distribution of the amounts among the rights holders for each work:

The song can be written by one or more persons, can be edited or not, can be played in public and/or reproduced (CD, audio tapes and video). Partage des sommes entre les différents ayants droit de chaque œuvre: several key information-sharing activities apply to each case.

The royalties are distributed:

For the representation and reproduction rights (statutory rights): by thirds between the author, the composer and the publisher of the song. -> 25% of royalties go to the author, 25% to the composer and 50% to the publisher.
For the reproduction rights, they depend on an agreement established between the rights holders.

The document below will give you details on the different distribution rules.

Distribution Calender

There are four distributions each year :

In January and July :

Distribution of radio, television and 'general royalties’ (concerts, galas, balls, public places using background music for business purposes,…), reproduction royalties (CDs, tapes,…) and royalties generated from cinemas.

In April and Octobre :

Distribution of royalties coming from foreign countries, private copy levies, cinemas and videographic reproduction rights.

At each distribution, the royalties collected, over either a semester or trimester, are apportioned (causing a smaller burden on administration costs). Thus, the royalties collected over the period of the 1st semester of the year are distributed in January of the following year and so on.

‘Non Identified’ Works

Even though SACEM can draw on a global repertoire of 118 million works, there some works that are not yet identified or registered at SACEM. At the moment, these royalties cannot yet be distributed; however, research is being done in order for SACEM to be able to do so: we either contact our members so that they hand us in the information missing, or we contact foreign author societies. If no result can be found and case we still can’t seek out the rights owner, the amount collected from these works are distributed among our members.

Au Luxembourg la loi 18 avril 2001 sur les droits d’auteur, les droits voisins et les bases de données (ci-après la "L. du 18/04/2001") dispose les principes de protection des droits d'auteur.

Droits des auteurs :

"L’auteur d’une œuvre jouit du droit exclusif d’autoriser sa communication au public par un procédé quelconque, y compris sa transmission par fil ou sans fil, par le moyen de la radiodiffusion, par satellite, par câble ou par réseau..." (art. 4 L. 18/04/2001)

"Les auteurs de l’œuvre audiovisuelle sont le producteur et le réalisateur principal." (art. 24 L. 18/04/2001)

Droit moral :

"Indépendamment des droits patrimoniaux d’auteur, et même après la cession desdits droits, l’auteur jouit du droit de revendiquer la paternité de son œuvre et de s’opposer à toute déformation, mutilation ou autre modification de celle-ci ou à toute autre atteinte à la même œuvre, préjudiciables à son honneur ou à sa réputation.

L’auteur peut céder et transmettre tout ou partie de ses droits moraux, pour autant qu’il ne soit pas porté atteinte à son honneur ou à sa réputation." (art. 11 L. 18/04/2001)

Durée de la protection :

"… La protection d’une œuvre audiovisuelle prend fin 70 ans après le décès du dernier survivant parmi les personnes suivantes: le réalisateur principal, les auteurs du scénario, des dialogues et des compositions musicales, avec ou sans paroles, spécialement créées pour être utilisées dans l’œuvre, qu’ils soient coauteurs ou non…" (art. 9 L. 18/04/2001)

Droit de reproduction :

"1. L’auteur jouit du droit exclusif d’autoriser la reproduction de son œuvre, de quelque manière et sous quelque forme que ce soit.
2. Le droit de reproduction comporte pour l’auteur le droit exclusif d’autoriser l’adaptation, l’arrangement ou la traduction de son œuvre.
3. Le droit de reproduction comprend le droit exclusif pour l’auteur d’autoriser l’intégration et l’extraction de son œuvre dans ou à partir d’une base de données." (art. 9 L. 18/04/2001)

Droit de représentation ou de diffusion :

"Sauf stipulation contraire, les auteurs et les autres créateurs de l’œuvre audiovisuelle sont présumés céder au producteur à titre exclusif tous les droits d’exploitation audiovisuelle de l’œuvre, à l’exception des créateurs des compositions musicales. Cette cession comprend les droits nécessaires à cette exploitation tels le droit d’ajouter des sous-titres ou de doubler l’œuvre.

L’adaptation, l’arrangement ou l’utilisation d’une œuvre préexistante doit être autorisée par son auteur." (art. 24 L. 18/04/2001)

Administration de ces droits :

Pour les audiovisuels institutionnels d'information, de formation ou de promotion, le droit de reproduction et le droit de représentation sont gérés par la SDRM qui autorise le producteur à reproduire et à représenter en public les œuvres des répertoires de la SACEM, de la SCAM et de la SACD. L'autorisation est délivrée - sous réserve du droit moral - en contrepartie du versement de droits qui sont répartis ensuite entre les ayants droit des œuvres utilisées.

Etendue de l'autorisation :

L'autorisation délivrée par la SDRM confère au producteur la faculté d'utiliser les répertoires généraux de la Sacem, de la SCAM et de la SACD, dans les limites ci-dessous :

au titre du droit de reproduction mécanique pour le monde entier
au titre du droit de représentation pour les territoires administrés par la Sacem (France, les DOM, le Grand-Duché du Luxembourg et la Principauté de Monaco)
au titre de la mise en ligne du film institutionnel sur le site Internet ou Extranet de l’Annonceur