I am thinking of joining a copyright protection society but, browsing the internet, I haven't read many positive comments about our own SIAE. I had therefore opted for abroad; I must say that, in view of the exorbitant and inexplicable amounts requested by SIAE, there is an embarrassment of riches! I was leaning towards the Spanish SGAE, which only asks for €15 for registration and nothing else, without even annual fees (the usefulness of which I still need to understand). However, I have some doubts, also because I don't speak Spanish very well and I didn't understand much from the website. What I really want to know (perhaps if someone among you is a member) is how the payment of royalties works if my music, for the moment, is only performed in Italian territory and not Spanish. What do I have to do? Will I have to inform SGAE that one of my tracks, protected by their society, has been used in Italy, or do they handle it themselves? And how do they do so in that event?
Other opinions on other societies are also welcome (SACEM seems convenient to me if it weren't for the fact that it requires a track to be commercialized within six months, if I'm not mistaken... SGAE does not impose this condition).
You need to look deeper into the difference between copyright (diritto d'autore) and copyright... which "seem" like the same thing, but they are not at all
Precisely for this reason SIAE is much better than types like creative commons
I have never taken Creative Commons into consideration. When you say that SIAE is better, do you mean specifically SIAE or any society that performs the same function as SIAE? No, because I really can't stomach paying such exorbitant amounts when the "competition" allows me to have the same things without shelling out annual fees. Let them fix their deficit in some other way and not at the expense of the members.
It depends on whether the main reason concerns the deposit and subsequent proof of authorship, or the potential earnings derived from live performances, online file sales, CDs, etc. I use SafeCreative for the moment; the licenses they provide are the most widespread, but I need it exclusively to deposit whenever I want, without having to go to Rome every 2 days and pay the sum that SIAE requires (I pay 40 euros per year, but there are several profiles to choose from; furthermore, you can deposit any number of versions of a piece, although it always remains a copy and tracking of previous deposits, which is very convenient; usually I print the first and last version with the attached electronic certificates; if I remember correctly, the possibility of modifying the license for a piece in case of its sale is also contemplated, but I don't remember this point well, I should reread it). Additionally, in these years (it's already a miracle), I have had the small satisfaction of learning that an excerpt of a piece was used by someone in Poland, but I don't know for what specific use. The profit? 42 cents.
42 cents??? But this is an offense! Anyway, I know that with SGAE the deposit can be made online by uploading the PDF of the score. It seems quite convenient to me. Anyway, Piccinesco, from your Polish experience, it seems to me to understand that if one's own piece were performed abroad, it is the foreign society that sends the "proceeds" (sigh!) to that of the nation in which the composer is registered. So, ultimately, if I were to register with SGAE, would I be considered "Spanish"? And then, since I am performed here in Italy, should I consider Italy as "abroad"? This is what is not clear to me...
Thanks anyway!
D
Dante
Member
Reply 6 by Dante
Posts
275
Piccinesco wrote:
It depends on whether the main reason concerns the deposit and subsequent proof of authorship
Of course Piccinesco, but if you have the authorship and others are profiting because they can delegate the collection of the same to third parties...?! There have been striking cases with Creative Commons. I suggest contacting Maestro Lorenzo Ferrero, who will be very available to give the right tips on the subject.
Yes, it should be the opposite, receiving the compensation directly; on this I agree.
I found this page on SafeCreative, and I asked them (if they can manage to understand my more than terrible basic English, actually I would say worse) if it refers to possible income related to the payment of copyrights.
From the page I am attaching, it would seem so, because the possibility of receiving money is indicated, specifying the method and the currency.
These two responses received from SGAE regarding two questions I asked concerning the registration and deposit procedure:
Estimado Maurizio:
Muchas gracias por tu interés en hacerte socio de SGAE. Lo primero que debes haces, es pedir la baja en tu Sociedad, en SIAE. Si no, no te podemos administrar tu repertorio.
Una vez hayas conseguido la baja, puedes registrarte con una obra en papel (partitura), y a partir de allí puedes registrar online con un fichero sonoro (mp3).
From what I can understand, they "thank" me for the interest I have shown in wanting (potential that is still present) to join their protection services.
First of all, they require documentation certifying my cancellation from SIAE (which has now taken place), in order to be able to manage my repertoire.
Then, after having completed the registration by sending a score (I imagine by mail even if it is not specified), I can subsequently do it online by sending an audio file.
If anyone understands Spanish better, please correct me.
In my opinion, SGAE is worth it because, aside from a very low registration fee (one-time), it protects copyright all over the world. In fact, no additional fees are required; the coverage of rights is worldwide.
Furthermore, there is no cost for depositing an unpublished work with SGAE; I mean even if one is not a member. It should be specified that they withhold a percentage during the liquidation phase on the total royalties, but only if an amount equal to or greater than what one defines during the registration phase is accrued.
Additionally, everything is online through the SGAE RESPONDE area. Prompt responses and a specific area for questions (which remain stored in a searchable archive in case I forget an answer given months earlier) to which a response has been provided.
I confirm that, even via email, they replied immediately. SIAE often took days or weeks, delegating the response to other offices instead of the one I had written to. The solution for depositing unpublished works without the obligation of registration is excellent; there is certainly a difference (not a small one lies in the fact that material can be sent online, as DiesIrae wrote, and this is an option that SIAE does not allow).
It should be noted that they withhold a percentage during the liquidation phase on the total royalties, but only if an amount equal to or greater than the one defined during the registration phase is reached.
I downloaded the SGAE registration forms, just to understand a bit what they ask for, but I didn't see any entry to fill out that refers to a maximum threshold which, if exceeded, is subject to taxation. I believe the withholdings are done automatically on every amount, it's just that their percentages, according to what they write on their website, are much lower than the European average.
