CISAC - International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers

05/30/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/30/2023 08:01

CISAC 2023 General Assembly convenes in Mexico

Mexico City, 30 May 2023 ­ The General Assembly of CISAC (International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers)will take place for the first time in Mexico on 1st June, bringing together representatives of over 100 authors societies from five continents.

The event is hosted by SACM (Societyof Authors and Composers of Mexico) which will welcome creators from all artistic disciplines. The agenda will focus on the challenges and opportunities now facing creators and their societies, at a time of unprecedented technological change.

Safeguarding creators' rights, increasing royalty collections, and improving the efficiency of the CISAC global network will be key themes. Copyright issues will be addressed in the context of Artificial Intelligence, the Metaverse, NFTs and licenses for the use of works in the digital environment.

The CISAC Assembly will be followed on 2nd June by a meeting of CIAM, the International Council of Music Creators.

CISAC is the world's largest network in the creative sector, incorporating 227-member collective management organisations (CMOs) in 118 countries. Together, this global network represents more than 5 million creators in music, visual arts, literature, drama, and the audiovisual sector.

Gadi Oron, CISAC Director General, says: "I am delighted that we are once again able to meet in person for the General Assembly, and I'm grateful to the team at SACM for hosting the most important annual gathering in the CISAC calendar. We are meeting at a time of extraordinary changes in our sector, and the key focus of the Assembly has to be on how CISAC can respond, adapt and strengthen our network to best serve our members in the future".

The annual meeting will be attended by CISAC's President, ABBA co-founder and legendary songwriter Björn Ulvaeus. Two of its Vice-Presidents will also attend: the acclaimed Mexican classical composer Arturo Márquezand Yvonne Chaka Chaka, one of South Africa's leading singer-songwriters and a human rights champion. The renowned Japanese artist Kazuhiko Fukuoji, who has been invited to stand for election as a Vice-President, will also join.

Björn Ulvaeus comments: "CISAC's most important mission is to use its global network to serve creators. We do that by defending creators' rights and promoting efficiency and transparency among our member societies. We encourage members to collaborate, share services and use the best available technologies to process data, so that creators can be paid efficiently and fairly for their works".

Among CISAC's recent international initiatives are: "Creators for Ukraine", providing financial and moral support for authors affected by the war; the global campaign to promote adoption of the music identifier ISWC across the music ecosystem; and "Your Music Your Future International", to educate creators on buyout contracts.

CISAC is working at a global level for stronger laws that protect creators and rightsholders. Its "Private Copying Global Study" provides expert guidance on private copying regimes that have been implemented in more than 70 countries. CISAC is also actively campaigning for fair remuneration rights for audiovisual creators, and for universal adoption of the Resale Right for visual artists.

Roberto Cantoral Zucchi, General Director of SACM and member of the CISAC Board of Directors since 2016 comments: "We are delighted to welcome our sister societies in Mexico. We are meeting in the certainty that we must be prepared in order to respond to the massive changes that we are facing in our landscape. We must act with agility, resourcefulness, efficiency, and determination in order to preserve the rights of creators who are a central part of the sustainable development of modern societies".

CISAC Board Chair Marcelo Castello Branco says: "The CISAC global network has shown an impressive recovery in the last year. The soundness of societies through successive crises highlights the immense value to CMOs of belonging to a global community. It enables fairer, more effective lobbying for legislation, and provides access to technology services that are needed to improve our systems in the streaming world".

CISAC has published its Annual Report in advance of the General Assembly, available inEnglish, Frenchand Spanish.