Matthieu Chedid, Keren Ann, Pomme… many artists offered online concerts during confinement, some almost every day, like Christine and the Queens. So much time to spend playing, singing… and not getting paid. But from today, artists will be able to ask for copyrights for their confined lives, a lesser evil when we know that since the record crisis, it is thanks to the stage that they earn their living.
The singer Nach, for example, did this concert for free from her home on Facebook, but she can declare it to the society of authors, composers and music publishers, Sacem, because these are her songs. 15 minutes will bring him around 50 euros, including 10 euros insured per piece. What she would have won for a free concert, in a small hall.
"It is meager compensation"
It's not much, says Florent Dasque, singer of the group Boulevards des Airs, but it will limit the breakage. "With this number, you would have to play for hours every day to be able to go up the slope. But now, it's very good if the Sacem can help artists, there is a great need."
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Without fees earned in concerts, with less broadcasting on radio and also in closed stores, Jean-Noel Tronc, president of Sacem, estimates that there will be a loss of 25% in copyright collection this year . "This will add a little bit of compensation on an exceptional basis, but it is meager compensation," he admits.
The artists will receive this money from January 2021. This is where the crisis will be felt most for them, copyright being always paid with a lag.