Patrick Sigwalt, Chair of the Board of Directors
Cultural life is slowly returning. What a joy it is to see the festivals, concerts and summer events that we had missed so much! The French scene and its artists are on the road again, performing in concerts and festivals. The public is ready, eager to relive moments of music and sharing, of artistic discovery and togetherness.
This revival is, unfortunately, also a trompe l'oeil: behind it hide many cultural and entertainment professionals who are still very worried. Despite solid growth in the collection of authors' rights for online broadcasts, authors, composers and music publishers will experience a drop in revenue until 2022 — and even beyond. The situation is still very tense, and we must support and defend our cultural diversity more than ever. But this crisis has proven that we must move forward united, as a group. The CNM, created just before the first lockdown, now plays a central role. It has put in place direct and permanent support mechanisms for authors, composers and music publishers. It has also created emergency aid programmes that complement those of your society, Sacem. I encourage you all to realise that you are entitled to this aid — use it! I would like to salute the professional organisations that worked tirelessly alongside Sacem to carry the voice of authors, composers and publishers all the way into the very heart of the CNM. Of course, this public support must be reinforced and made more rapid and sustained, because this crisis has plunged a large number of our members into extreme difficulty, and consequences will be lasting.
I am honoured, as I write these lines, to begin my mandate as Chair of the Board of Directors of Sacem for the year 2021-2022. I will represent with commitment, rigour and passion all the authors, composers and music publishers, but also all the author-directors, dubbing and subtitling authors, poets and humourists, who make up the great diversity of Sacem's members. For one hundred and seventy years, our fine authors' society has embodied the values of freedom, emancipation, and the most modern form of solidarity. It is the showcase for your works, the ambassador of your professions, the spearhead of your battles and your rights. Rest assured, the members of the Board of Directors and I will be a loud and clear conduit for your voices. Because in order to be compensated, creative work must first be recognised, understood, and — crucially — respected.
I wish you all a beautiful end of summer.
Published September 27 2021