SAMRO 60

The focus of this article, however, is SAMRO, a CMO which represents the rights of songwriters (both local and international) in the South African music space. CMOs are non-governmental institutions, usually established by copyright law, which license copyright on behalf of songwriters. Essentially, rights owners assign their copyright to a CMO enabling them to issue licenses and collect royalties on their behalf. These CMOs do this by issuing licenses to music users, track the activity of registered works and based on the frequency of use pay creators royalties. In SAMRO’s instance they are concerned with collecting Public Performance Royalties. This means every time a song is played in a restaurant, club, radio, television, a fun-fair, clothing store or live venue, the songwriter is paid for the use of their intellectual property. SAMRO generates money by issuing blanket licenses to the latter mentioned venues, tracking the use of registered songs and paying members royalties based on its usage.

Whilst studying in Holland he received a telegram from the newly formed SABC (South African Broadcast Corporation) requesting he set up and run the Afrikaans broadcast service for the institution. He eventually went on to become a well known broadcaster, actor and leader at the SABC, assuming the role of Director-General of the corporation in 1948. He held the position until 1961, when his relationship with the ruling party, the National Party (NP), irretrievably broke down, as he refused to allow the SABC to be used as a tool for the dissemination of propaganda by the apartheid government. After approximately 25 years with the corporation he was replaced by a “Broederbond” member, who would assure the successful implementation of the NP’s wishes. In his farewell speech he articulated that he had expected to retire at the SABC, but alas it was not meant to be. What he went on to achieve, at a time when many may have assumed he would slow down (aged 52), overshadowed what he achieved at the SABC and would go on to change the lives of thousands of creatives over various decades.

In 1963 another organisation was established which dealt with a composer’s right to reproduction, enshrined in the Copyright Act. SARRAL (South African Recording Rights Association Limited) administered mechanical rights exclusively in the country for over 30 years, issuing mechanical licenses and collecting the associated royalties. In 1998 NORM (National Organisation of Reproduction Rights in Music) was established to collect mechanical royalties for its members, consisting of major and big independent publishers. This reduced some of the control over the administration of mechanical rights SARRAL previously held. In 2006 SAMRO absorbed some of SARRAL’s duties and moved into the mechanical royalty collection space. SARRAL was eventually liquidated in 2010 by a court order, after it was found that funds had been misappropriated by certain board members.

From the outset SAMRO was integrally involved in the upliftment of local musicians, the preservation of indigenous musical traditions and music education. Through the SAMRO Endowment of the National Arts (SENA), founded in 1962, various projects were undertaken to achieve the latter mentioned objectives. In 2011 SENA was renamed the SAMRO Foundation, which up to that point had functioned as a sub-committee of the main SAMRO board. This organisational shift was implemented and overseen by another legend in the South African music business, André Le Roux. The foundation is involved in various projects, programmes and initiatives that help stimulate the South African music industry.

SAMRO is led by a board of directors that consist of music stakeholders from the publishing world, recording industry, business world and performing spaces, aimed at adequately representing all spheres of the South African music industry. Since it’s inception in 1961 9 people have served in the role of SAMRO CEO: Gideon Roos, Paul Roos (1962–1997); Rob Hooijer (1997–2006); Nicholas Motsatse (2006–2013); Sipho Dlamini (2013–2016); Rev. Abe Sibiya (acting) (2016–2017); Nothando Migogo (2017–2019); Ditebogo Modiba (acting) (2019–2020). In 2020 a man was made CEO of SAMRO that shares a similar pedigree to that of the organisation’s founder, Dr Roos, a lawyer that has built up a phenomenal reputation within the South African music industry, Mark Rosin. His mandate was to turn the organisation around after a few years of controversy and disruptions at the CMO.

In its 60 year history the organisation has gone from a fledgling South African institution with the ambitious aim of protecting the rights of local music creators and preserving our musical heritage to an international success. Not only have they succeeded in remunerating their members, they have also forged relationships with important international stakeholders and invested heavily in music education and upliftment in the country. With Mark Rosin at the helm, it is hoped that he will restore the organisation to its former glory, bringing the organisation into the 4th industrial revolution and the world’s new music dispensation. At the end of the day, we as content creators all benefit from a strong collection society such as SAMRO and we hope that it continues to grow from strength to strength, surviving to experience another 60 years.

Related posts:

I like Mr. Yukio Mishima. I have seen the movies based on his novels, “The Temple of the Golden Pavilion,” “Snow in Spring,” and “The Thirst for Love. I have read several of Mr. Mishima’s essays. As…

She is telling me all about the Undead. They have blue eyes, are hard to kill and created only by rare magic. “No big deal,” I said. “The Democratic Party can do the same thing. In 2016 tens of…

Talking with shame. Shame I feel you, I’m here with you. My mind becomes cloudy when you are steering, my chest becomes tight and I look around for ways to distract myself. I ask for help before I…