An organisation managed by its members
A society under very close supervision
Like all collective management societies in France, Sacem’s management and activities are subject to regular supervision as provided for by law or by its Articles of Association. Transparency is a cardinal principle in Sacem governance and operations.
Few private enterprises are subject to such stringent regular oversight; today, there are ten levels of surveillance, each different and separate from the others. This guarantees our management’s efficiency, fairness and transparency.
Yearly external controls
Auditor: like many private companies, Sacem accounts are checked by an independent auditor who submits an annual report to the Sacem General Assembly.
Auditing Committee for Collective Management Societies (ACCM): Sacem is audited every year by this independent committee dedicated to collective management societies, housed at the Cour des Comptes (Court of Audit) and chaired by a Court magistrate. The Auditing Committee report is public and available on the website of the Cour des Comptes. No other private company is audited by the Cour des Comptes.
Ministry of Culture: it validates and checks all statutory changes made by Sacem, which must also submit to it its annual accounts.
Detailed report on the sums from the private copy levy used for Cultural Action: the law on Freedom of Creation, Architecture and Heritage (July 2016) requires collective management societies to publish a (publicly available) yearly report accessible to all in the form of a single database detailing all funding allocated to festivals, artists’ residences and self-produced albums, corresponding to 25% of the private copy levy.
Internal controls
Board of Directors: as the Society’s executive body, it validates all decisions concerning Sacem activities, in particular negotiation of the Society’s repertoire representation contracts and royalty distribution rules. It validates the budget and controls the CEO’s operational activities and Sacem departments.
Supervisory Board: it controls the activities and mission completion of the Board of Directors and the CEO, whose performances it evaluates through a report submitted each year to the General Assembly. It also controls the Society’s resources and expenditure.
Ethics Committee: it averts, identifies, manages and controls all situations of conflicts of interest ― actual or potential ― confronting Sacem Directors, members of the Supervisory Board and Statutory Programming Committee and the CEO. It receives the annual declarations of interests provided for by the Intellectual Property Code and guarantees that the rules of eligibility for the Board of Directors, Supervisory Board and Statutory Programming Committee are respected.
Transparency Report: it is published every year starting in 2017 and sent to all Sacem members, to provide them with accurate detailed yearly accounts.
Auditing and Internal Control Department: it proceeds every year with audits and other controls of the activities of the Society’s various departments and ensures that all the association’s procedures, regulations and charters are observed during the implementation of these activities, with particular regard for ethical business practices. This department also undertakes the Data Protection Officer’s missions and watches over the protection of personal data processed by the Sacem, as required by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Committees: made up of Sacem members elected by the General Assembly every year, Sacem committees assist the Board of Directors in checking the Society’s activities and helping in decision-making.