SUISA general assembly 2013: More members, less revenue

At its General Assembly, SUISA, the Cooperative Society of Music Authors and Publishers, reported declining revenues for 2012. Compared with 2011, copyright revenues declined 3.3% to CHF 131.7mn. Yet the Swiss continue to be extremely active in the musical field. Membership increased by 4.7% over the year, reaching 31 172 members at the end of 2012.

Lucerne, 21 June 2013 – In 2012, the copyright revenues of SUISA, the Cooperative Society of Music Authors and Publishers, declined by 3.3% to CHF 131.7mn (prior year CHF 136.2mn). Domestic revenues fell by as much as 4.3%. Performance and broadcasting revenues remained relatively stable. At CHF 102.6mn, performance and broadcasting revenues account for over 80% of SUISA’s total copyright revenues. Income from sound carrier licensing fell sharply again (-23%), as did revenues from the blank media levy for private copying (-14%).

SUISA’s total income, secondary income included, reached CHF 141mn, 2.9% less than in 2012 (CHF 145.2mn). Administration costs were 1% higher at CHF 26.5mn. This is due to the growth in membership on the one hand, and to the strong increase in the number of works declarations, up 71% compared with the prior year (from 668,298 to 1,143,057), on the other.

Full Press Release (PDF)

Ph!l!pp Schweidler

"SWISSPERFORM ensures that performing artists are fairly and equitably remunerated for their work. Given today's tight production budgets, its contribution to Switzerland's musical creation is essential."