July 20, 2016

The “FAIR INTERNET” campaign, which claims to represent over 500,000 professional performers in Europe (singers, musicians, dancers, actors etc), has written to Jean-Claude Juncker saying that it welcomes the prominence given to the fair remuneration of creators in the digital environment on the European Commission’s agenda, but that “promises of fair remuneration are not enough”.

The letter calls on the European Commission to “come forward with concrete legislative measures”.

Since the adoption of the Copyright Directive (2001/29/EC), performers have expected to receive a fair share of the revenues generated by downloading and streaming services, the letter says. However, the reality for most of them is “strikingly different today”.

The value created by the audiovisual and music industries via online services does not truly benefit those at the root of the creation, despite performers having been granted legislative protection for more than 15 years, the letter continues.  “This unfair situation cannot be redressed under current EU rules” and a “modernised copyright framework is essential in order to create a sustainable creative sector in Europe, allowing all performers to earn a decent living”.

Further, the letter states, all performers need to benefit from a fair share of the value generated by on demand services.  “Transparency and fair contracts cannot be expected to guarantee this in isolation”.

Currently, the letter says, most performers only receive a single, global and perpetual buy-out fee for their work and only a very small minority of them receive royalties, which are often modest and opaque.

This is why, the letter continues, the Commission needs to come forward as part of the copyright reform package expected for this autumn, with a legislative proposal providing performers with “an unwaivable right to receive equitable remuneration from on-demand services, subject to mandatory collective management”.

“No more time must be wasted. We urge you to take the necessary action now”, the letter concludes.  To read the letter as published on the Fair Internet for Performers’ website, click here.