Ysara 22

Translation:

The life of an artist is far from being as simple as we think... And this computer graphics showing what a musician must do to earn 100 euros is the best proof of it!

Have you ever wondered to what extent an artist is paid, when you listen to him or her on your favorite music platform - whether it's Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music or whatever - or when it's broadcast on the radio, for example? If the answer is yes, then you can stop making estimates: the Civil Society for the Administration of the Rights of Artists and Performing Musicians - or more simply ADAMI - has done it for you. Based on a 100 euro level that will speak to everyone, ADAMI has accurately established the number of radio appearances, album sales and other streaming listenings needed to reach this amount. And when you look at these figures, it's not surprising to see that vinyl sales are more profitable than streaming!

14 radio passes are required to win 100€. At first glance, this may not seem like much, as some artists seem to us to be bludgeoned and looped on the airwaves. But when you think about it, it's huge. Of course, if your name is Avicii, who announced her withdrawal from music after 2016, Adèle or Sia, reaching that fateful 14-pass radio bar will not be a problem at all. But not everyone is so lucky, and it will be enough for you to think of an artist with a lower - but nevertheless significant - notoriety and to remember how many times you have heard him on the radio today, yesterday or this week to understand. Concerning streaming, the situation is even more overwhelming. Le Monde estimated last year that an artist received between 0.0001 and 0.0004 euro per listening! An edifying study, which tends to prove what we already knew: being a musician in 2016 and making a good living is close to oxymoron.

Hello,
We rephrased your question, which was: "How many artists are paid by the radio stations each time one of their songs plays? Jean-Jacques Goldman is on a loop even though he has not done anything for years. How does it work?"

You want to know the amount of remuneration paid to artists broadcast on radio each time one of their works is played. It should be noted that no fixed remuneration is provided for. Several factors are used to calculate these earnings:

- Is the performer also the author and/or composer of his music?

- How long is the music?

- What time is the music played?

- Which radio station broadcasts it?

- How many times is the music played per day?
Is the performer the author and/or composer of his music?

Two organizations manage the distribution of the earnings generated by the broadcasting of music on the radio: Sacem (Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers), and the Society for the Collection of Equitable Remuneration (SPRE).

Sacem collects royalties from authors, composers and music publishers. It therefore only concerns performers if they are also the author and/or composer of the music broadcast.

Each radio station pays him an annual fee. This varies according to the turnover of the radio and its category: national public radio, private radio, local radio... After a calculation made by Sacem, a scale has been established. For example, Chérie FM pays 4.57 euros per minute, while RTL pays 22 euros for the same 60 seconds. For one simple reason: the more music on the radio, the cheaper the minute is, regardless of the artist. The radio then sends the list and schedule of music broadcast on its airwaves to Sacem, which is responsible for sharing the amount among all the rights holders.

This sum is divided into three equal parts between the author, the composer and the publisher of the music. Thus, a three-minute piece of music on NRJ will be remunerated, on average, 27 euros per broadcast in total, the price may vary according to the time of day. Prime time is more advantageous than night time.

In total, 969.8 million euros were collected and 843.9 million euros were repaid by Sacem in 2017, with the organization collecting 125 million euros to pay for "personnel expenses and costs related to investments in their information systems".

If the performer is neither author, composer nor publisher of his music, then he will only be subject to the rights related to copyright, governed by the SPRE. The organization manages the distribution rights of all performers, including artists registered with Sacem as authors or composers. The artist will then receive financial compensation for the exploitation of his work. This remuneration has been called "equitable remuneration" since the Jack Lang Act of 3 July 1985.

Like the money collected by Sacem, SPRE collects a percentage proportional to the turnover of the radio (between 4% and 7%). The calculation of a performer's remuneration is established according to the same criteria as Sacem (according to the duration of the music, the number of broadcasts, and the time of the performance).
"1% of artists receive half of the royalties"

So how much do artists get? On the occasion of the international music publishing market in 2016, ADAMI published a report on the place of artists in the digital age. Conclusion: only 60% of performers receive more, including all income, than a monthly Smic.

Artists who are in a phonographic contract, i.e. who have the right to radio broadcasting (any broadcasting presupposes the existence of such a contract) are a little better off: 69% receive more than one SMIC. But the right to radio broadcasting does not guarantee a high income. According to the same study, two out of three artists on phonographic contracts receive less than 30,000 euros per year.

The reason for this is a very high concentration of income. In 2016, the Court of Auditors estimated that only 1% of the artists registered with Sacem received half of the royalties distributed by this organisation.

Among this 1%, we find for example Jean-Jacques Goldman. In 2016, the programme "Complement d'enquête" focused on the musician's fortune. "RFM broadcasts an average of ten of the singer's songs a day. That is more than 3,600 titles per year, at a rate of 11 euros in copyright per title. Over a year, RFM would pay nearly 40,000 euros to Jean-Jacques Goldman, and there are nearly 900 radio stations in France. He also receives copyright for the 200 songs written for others" such as Johnny Hallyday, Khaled, or Céline Dion, France 2 detailed.

However, it is difficult to know Jean-Jacques Goldman's exact remuneration. But the artist's 70 pieces of music broadcast daily on the radios as well as the copyright of the 200 scores composed for the others oblige Sacem to pay him a substantial sum. The figure is not public. But we can give a low range: Jean-Jacques Goldman surpasses Ravel, who brings in two million euros each year to his heirs.