Authors and other creative professionals are the key actors in the creative value chains and deserve to be treated fairly. Their rights should be recognised and their contribution to society and the economy valued, writes EU Member States’ expert group in its recent report on the status of the artists. Their proposal, a legal status for artists and creative professionals is not a privilege nor an honorary title, it is a way to reduce social and economic disadvantages.

This year the Golden Globes, the Oscars and most recently the French César awards all failed to nominate any women for best director catalysing campaigns such as #OscarsSoMale and #CesarSoMale. Even the European Parliament’s LUX Audience Award only had one female director nominee out of five film finalists, making it clear that there still are many steps that need to be taken to reach a more equal and diverse film sector, and appreciation for women behind and on the screen.

The pandemic, Russia’s war against Ukraine, the energy crisis, and political wins of the extreme right, are the latest big headlines of many recent reports about the world in 2022. Indeed, these disheartening developments have repercussions on the cultural and creative sectors too. At the same time, data and figures help us better understand our environment, and where we need to focus our efforts to move forward.

5-years after the transposition deadline, the European Commission has concluded that the application of the Collective Rights Management Directive has had a positive effect on rightsholders and the licensing market. Therefore, there is no need for a review, said the Commission.

CharactHer, a new campaign by the European Commission, features inspiring women professionals and puts a spotlight on gender equality in the male dominated film and media sectors. A recent report by the European Audiovisual Observatory identifies 3 challenges: difficulties in measuring progress on on-screen representation, the complexity of collecting data on diversity, and the need for intersectional approaches.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on culture has been, and still is, devastating. While many policymakers understand the consequences of the crisis on our health, social life and wellbeing, few are aware of the important role that the cultural sector can play for the recovery of the European economy. 

Europe's creative economy has been decimated by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Venues remain closed, productions postponed and advertising revenues have plummeted. We have all, individually, suffered the effects of cultural and social scarcity. But 2019 was a different story.

Of the total employment in EU27, 3,7% (7,3 million) people work in the cultural sectors and one third are self-employed (Eurostat 2019). COVID-19 has worsened their already precarious situation and left many without any regular income and difficulties to prove their eligibility for any possible financial support mainly designed for employees or businesses.

Alongside tackling the COVID-19 crisis, the European Commission and the European Parliament have continued working on establishing a European approach for the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The SAA had a look at the topic to try to understand how AI is used in the audiovisual sector and what its impact on authors is.

Every year CISAC publishes its global multi-repertoire collection report, taking stock of trends and development of the authors’ royalties collectively managed by 239 CMOs in 122 countries. The figures don’t lie: where an unwaivable right to remuneration is implemented, creators’ right to receive royalties for the exploitation of their works can be guaranteed. 

On 4-5 November, representatives from the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) met in Lisbon to discuss how to advance gender equality within collective management organisations (CMOs) and increase women creators among members and on the boards. The SAA was among them.

As a part of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) open online course (MOOC), Cécile Despringre, SAA Executive Director was interviewed about creators’ remuneration, collective rights management, the film industry and the online market.