Tuesday 23 July 2013

A look at SAMRO

ABOUT SAMRO

Music has always had a big effect on culture throughout history. From struggle songs to sports anthems, music has the power to move people. Influencing politics, faith, fashion and popular culture. Music doesn't just make for a better dance scene - it’s the soundtrack to our past and our future. So it’s incredibly important that we protect our musical talent and heritage. And encourage new music creators to join the party. 

Since 1961, SAMRO has been South Africa’s music rights champion. We protect the rights of composers and authors (music creators) both locally and internationally. Collecting licence fees from music users – television broadcasters, radio stations, in-store radio stations, pubs, clubs, retailers, restaurants and all other businesses that broadcast, use or play music. 

Five decades of experience managing music rights has given us a high-definition picture of the way music is used out there. And we use this knowledge to assess fair and reasonable royalties on a track by track basis – looking at when and where each piece of music is used. We pass on these royalties to the talented folks who play a role in creating the music we all love to share.


This article seeks to encourage people to make their own work, register it and reap the rewards; it is not a SAMRO advert or what so ever.

People always insinuate that Props and Street cred are important, but on the real do any of those pay bills? Can you buy food with props? My land lord served me with an eviction notice saying that he will not be accepting credibility for rent anymore.

So let’s look at what media does!!!

They take your music, your ideas, and use it to gain profit to earn a living, while you are busy getting exposure becoming famous they are getting bellies and swelling with wealth. Heads have iPhones, Blackberry’s internet access (not from their pockets) but do not want to research how they can earn a living doing what they love, in hope that plies is rich but he once said “mom your baby boy made a million with his mouth” form that sentiment I say let’s continue being ourselves but let’s make a living of that.

If a producer tells you buy his beat/instrument and pay for recording time he is not insane, that is his bread and butter. He could be studying somewhere for an office job or working in one, but he wants to do what he loves doing.

So as artists do charge my your work too, if you pay for the above and then give away your music as well as performance time for free you are working on a loss that is not a way to hustle (Stop claiming that you are hustling, cause you are spending in a fruitless manner).
Do you even know your rights? Let’s discuss the following topics and see who knows what they are doing.
  1.         Royalties
  2.         Mechanical Rights
  3.         Needle time Rights
  4.         Performing Rights
  5.         Types of Music User Licences
  6.          Broadcasting Licences
  7.        General Licensing

That’s a lot of questions or words that artists should know, you do not really need to go to school for such.

Mechanical Rights:

Mechanical Rights royalties are earned by music composers, lyricists and publishers when their musical works are copied onto CD, DVD, tape, video, MP3 or computer hard drive, or as cellphone ringtones. For example, every time a song is legally bought and downloaded online, Mechanical Rights ensure the owners of the song get their hard earned royalties.

Needletime Rights:

Needletime Rights royalties are earned by recording artists (such as musicians, singers or backing vocalists, and studio producers). They may not have actually written or composed the song, but they helped to record it. They score when their recorded performance is played or performed in public, for example, on a radio station. They don’t get as much as the person who owns the song, but they get their fair share.

Performing Rights:

Performing Rights are royalties earned by the people who own the musical work. They’re the people who create original works – such as composers, lyricists or music publishers. They earn royalties when their musical creations are performed in public – for example when they are played on the radio or on TV, or at a concert.

Types of Music User Licences

Do you want to know more about music licences? You’ve come to the right place! There’s a music licence for every occasion.
SAMRO offers two basic types of licences for Music Users to make use of the protected works of our members. They are Broadcasting and General Licensing.

Broadcasting Licences

The name says it all. SAMRO issues Broadcasting Licences to broadcasters such as TV and Radio broadcasters to enable them to broadcast music. The licence fees are calculated on an individual basis according to the size and nature of the broadcaster. The big players pay more than – say – a small community radio station. So it works out fairly in the end.

General Licensing

General Licensing covers every other type of Music User. That’s your clubs, bars, malls, restaurants, music venues and other establishments that play music. Again, we assess your licence fees fairly, according to the nature of your business using our knowledge and experience to arrive at the most appropriate fee structure.
In both cases, as a first step, a SAMRO consultant will visit your business and conduct a site inspection and an assessment of the nature of your operation. The consultant will take many things into account including the use of the music, the seating capacity and audience size that can be expected to benefit from the use of the music.

What happens to the licence fees I pay SAMRO?

Royalties gathered through licence fees are passed on to SAMRO Music Creators. Many people play a role in the creation of every piece of music. From songwriters and composers to recording artists and music publishers – they all play a role in creating the final musical product.
Thanks to SAMRO’s experience and the information we collect about the usage and value of every musical work, we are able to fairly calculate the royalties that are passed on to the different players. SAMRO deducts tax and levies an administrative fee on all royalties in return for managing the music rights of our members. We’re completely transparent about how our fees are managed and shared.


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