Artists finally get their share in royalties
The Performers’ Organisation of South Africa Trust (POSA)
has commenced the distribution of Needletime rights royalties to artists whose
tracks have been used by music users.
This brings to an end the long wait for hundreds of South
African featured artists and session musicians waiting to receive royalties for
their performances.
POSA distributes the rights on behalf of recording artists
who are represented by SAMRO. The first distribution, for 2009 royalties, was
done on December 23, 2014. Subsequent distributions, for the years between 2010
and 2012, were done in January and February 2015.
This followed the agreement reached in September 2014
between POSA and SAMPRA on the sharing of Needletime rights royalties between
record companies and performers featured in the tracks that were used by music
users.
SAMRO Executive General Manager: Rights Holder Services,
Pfanani Lishiva says that featured artists and session musicians featured in
the tracks that earned royalties have received pay-outs after POSA successfully
processed royalties. The following are the percentages, per distribution, that
have been achieved (where royalties were successfully allocated to deserving
performers per track):
2009(1) 91.01%; 2009(2) 78.90%; 2010 87.73%; 2011 83.35%;
and 2012 84.90%. The average percentage of processed royalties is 85.17.
He added that the amounts that have not yet been processed
and distributed are those belonging to tracks that have not been registered
with POSA. POSA has been tracing and contacting the relevant featured artists
requesting them to register their tracks, and royalties are processed as soon
as tracks are registered and payment is also effected immediately.
“It is also important to state that the SAMRO board of
Directors and the POSA board of Trustees took a decision that, for these
distributions, POSA would not charge any administration fee. This means that
nothing has been deducted from the performers’ royalties,” said Lishiva.
For more information visit www.samro.org.za
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