Social Initiatives : Solidarity between authors

On December 20, 1857, the great Italian composer, Rossini, wrote to SACEM applying for membership. After saying that it would be a great honor to be accepted, he stated that all his rights in the future would be paid into the solidarity fund which Sacem was planning to set up as part of an undertaking to support authors and composers experiencing difficulties.

The fund became reality in 1860 and ever since SACEM’s social policy has been developing and expanding.

The initiative is funded through a levy on the rights distributed: 10% on public performance rights, 3% on mechanical reproduction rights and 5% on private copying rights.

The Social Affairs Department manages two social support funds :
- the SACEM contingency fund
- the SACEM solidarity fund

For contingency or “providence” needs, the Social Affairs Department manages the SACEM mutual aid pension system (RAES – Régime d’Allocations d’Entraide de la Sacem), while the solidarity fund provides assistance for members encountering difficulties.

The Social Affairs Department also provides the following services for members :
- a mutual insurance company for complementary medical insurance (Société Mutualiste des Auteurs, Compositeurs et Editeurs de Musique) available to SACEM members receiving authors’ rights above a figure set annually by the SACEM board of directors.
- a mutual aid society officially recognized as a charity, the Comité du Coeur, providing assistance for authors and composers encountering difficulties.

In parallel, the Social Affairs Department :
- processes and monitors cases of promotion through the membership hierarchy (simple member, professional or “sociétaire définitif”).
- coordinates the organization of annual and extraordinary general meetings and is involved in processing applications for positions as officers (on the Board of Directors and Statutory Committees).

The department also provides its expert advice for members to help them in their dealings with the different administrative bodies providing social cover :
- AGESSA, the French social security fund for artists and authors.
- CREA, the retirement pension fund which manages two complementary retirement funds : IRCEC (for teachers and creative arts) & RACL (for certain composers, e.g. opera).