Trouvez une oeuvre dans Le répertoire de la Sacem
Championing creators’ rights since 1851
As a world leader and Europe’s largest collective of creators, Sacem protects them, defends their rights and promotes their works around the world.
The story
The original note
In 1847, the author Ernest Bourget and the composers Paul Henrion and Victor Parizot sat down at a table at the Café-Concert des Ambassadeurs in Paris. They realised that the music being played was their own, and that the café owner had raised his prices to pay the musicians on stage. They refused to pay the bill because they were not being paid for the use of their works.
Supported by the publisher Jules Colombier, they took the matter to court and won the case. This bold move led to the formation of a trade union in 1850, which became a company on 28 February 1851: Sacem, now the world leader among copyright organisations.
Since then, Sacem’s story has continued. From café-concerts to music streaming, from the phonograph to digital platforms, the world is changing but our mission and our purpose remain the same: to protect musical creation and uphold the rights of creators.
Our remit
Working to protect creation
As the world leader in copyright management and Europe’s largest collective of creators, Sacem is a collective management society. Our mission is based on three commitments.
Protect
To represent and defend the artists who have chosen to entrust their works to us.
Collection
To collect royalties whenever their works are broadcast (radio, TV, concerts, shops, streaming platforms, etc.) or reproduced (CDs, vinyl, digital files, video games, etc.), both in France and internationally.
Distribute
To redistribute all revenue collected in proportion to the actual use of each work, regardless of the creator’s fame.
Support all creative works
We throw ourselves wholeheartedly into music
We support and encourage artistic and cultural creation, dissemination and education.
As France’s leading private funder of music, we support thousands of projects every year, contributing to France’s cultural influence and the vitality of its regions.
A leading player,
and rightly so.
Governance
Who runs Sacem?
Sacem is a non-profit organisation, managed by its members – authors, composers and publishers: each year, they may stand as candidates and vote to elect their representatives.
These representatives sit on the Board of Directors every week and take strategic decisions, including the appointment of the managing director. This cooperative-style governance reflects the values upheld by Sacem: collective, fair and based on solidarity.
Our commitments
These aren’t just empty words
Protecting your works is our business. Protecting your future and that of the sector is our responsibility.
Through the concrete actions set out in our CSR 2030 plan, we are working towards a fairer, more inclusive and more sustainable culture, with a view to continuous improvement.
For our members
We monitor very closely the representation of women within all our governing bodies, our Members base and our support programmes to ensure that it reflects society as a whole.
We support and run projects dedicated to women and gender minorities (mentoring, networking, student grants, etc.).
We provide training on combating sexist and sexual violence and harassment.
We give a voice to our members who are committed to social and environmental issues.For our staff
We work every day to provide an equal and inclusive working environment for all our staff.
We train managers and teams on psychosocial risks.
We offer all employees the opportunity to take a day’s ‘solidarity work’ to support our partner charities.For the sector
In collaboration with our partners and Sacem’s Equality and Diversity Commission, we are working to ensure that access to careers in music does not depend on gender, background, age, musical repertoire or connections.
We support initiatives and collectives addressing social and environmental transitions within the music and cultural sectors, working alongside all stakeholders in the cultural, creative and music sectors. Recognising that Sacem is a key player in the sector, we regularly speak out on social and environmental issues.For the company
We provide access to music-making in schools, prisons, hospitals and medical and social care centres through the ‘Fabriques à Musique’ scheme and the Sacem Endowment Fund.
We fund concerts across the country through the ‘Tous en live’ scheme.For the planet
We are pursuing a sustainable approach by measuring our carbon emissions and the impact of our operations in order to adjust our actions aimed at reducing our carbon footprint.
We are committed to a climate pathway for 2031 that is aligned with the Paris Agreement, in accordance with the Science Based Targets Initiative standards.
We ensure we implement a digital policy, a responsible procurement policy and a policy on waste management and recovery.
We organise ‘Climate Fresques’ and practical, hands-on initiatives across all teams to raise our employees’ awareness of environmental issues.
Our employees receive support with their commuting arrangements.
Let’s work together to create more inclusive careers
Equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility cannot be imposed by decree. Sacem supports and leads targeted action programmes to fast-track careers and remove the structural barriers that still hold back far too many professionals and creators.
Musical heritage
Our archives in the spotlight
Sacem preserves and manages an archive covering more than 175 years of musical heritage.
Thirty linear kilometres of shelving: sheet music, manuscripts, membership applications, correspondence, notification or declaration forms, unique testimonies…
A living heritage, accessible online, which provides the basis for numerous exhibitions, documentaries and events.