The General Assembly
Every year, on the third Tuesday in June, Sacem members meet for the General Assembly.
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Who runs Sacem?
Sacem is run by its members, who elect their representatives to the Board of Directors. A collective, fair and supportive management model.
A member-run organisation
Sacem is a non-profit organisation, managed by its members – authors, composers and publishers: each year, they are able to vote to elect their representatives from among the standing candidates.
The elected members sit on the Board of Directors every week and decide on Sacem’s strategic direction, such as the appointment of the managing director.
A cooperative-style governance structure, reflecting the values upheld by Sacem: collective, fair and based on solidarity.
The bodies that set the tone
The Board of Directors
Sacem’s Board of Directors comprises six songwriters, six composers and six publishers, elected for a three-year term, as well as one full member and one alternate member who are both songwriters and directors, elected for a two-year term. They are responsible for setting Sacem’s strategy.
The Supervisory Board
The Supervisory Board does not manage the organisation; it oversees it. Elected by the members at the General Assembly, it ensures that the Board of Directors and the Managing Director act in the best interests of the creators, and reports on its work each year to all members.
The Programmes Committee
It is Sacem’s only Statutory Committee. Elected directly by the Members at the General Assembly, it is entirely independent of Sacem’s Board of Directors and staff. Its role is to ensure that every Distribution is fair, and that your royalties are correctly calculated on the basis of what has actually been broadcast.
The Ethics Committee
It ensures that no one within Sacem’s governance structure can act in their own personal interest to the detriment of others. Independent by nature — its three members are external to Sacem — it identifies, prevents and manages any actual or potential conflicts of interest, ensuring that trust and ethical conduct remain the foundation of our organisation.
The Managing Director
Appointed by the Board of Directors for a three-year contract, the Chief Executive Officer is responsible for the day-to-day management of Sacem and implements the strategic direction set by the elected representatives. Cécile Rap-Veber has held this post since October 2021. She is the first woman to have taken the helm at Sacem since its creation. Working alongside her, David El Sayegh serves as Deputy Chief Executive.
Regulatory Committees
These four committees advise the Board of Directors on all matters relating to their areas of expertise. Comprising elected members, observers from the Board of Directors and qualified experts, they examine, analyse and make recommendations to ensure that the decisions taken always reflect the reality faced by creators in the field.
Technical Committees
These five committees work day in, day out to ensure that Sacem is much more than just a collecting society: it is an active partner in artists’ careers.
Sacem’s inspections
A well-organised company
Sacem is subject to ten levels of independent oversight, as provided for by law or by its Statutes. These safeguards ensure fair, effective and transparent management for every creator. Few private companies are subject to such rigorous scrutiny.
Annual external audits
Auditor
An independent auditor presents his or her audited accounts report to the General Assembly of Members each year.
Commission for the Supervision of Organisations Managing Copyright and Related Rights (CCOGDA)
This independent commission, based at the Court of Auditors and chaired by one of its judges, publishes an annual public report on Sacem. Sacem is the only private company to be subject to such scrutiny.
Ministry of Culture
It approves all amendments to the articles of association and receives Sacem’s annual accounts.
Detailed report on sums paid in respect of cultural activities funded by the Private copying levy
The law requires the annual publication, in a database accessible to all, of funding allocated under the Private copying levy (festivals, residencies, self-produced albums).
Internal controls
Board of Directors
He approves all strategic decisions (contracts/agreements, Distribution rules, budget) and oversees the work of the Managing Director.
Supervisory Board
It oversees the activities of the Board of Directors and assesses the management’s performance in an annual report presented to the General Assembly.
The Supervisory Board Ethics Committee
It identifies and manages any conflicts of interest, whether actual or potential, involving directors, members of the Supervisory Board or the Programmes Committee, or the Chief Executive. It receives annual notifications or declarations of interests and ensures compliance with the eligibility rules.
Ethics Committe Transparency Report
Published annually since 2017, the Sacem Annual Report and the Transparency Report provide a detailed account of the financial statements for the financial year and are distributed to all Members.
View annual reports and transparency reports Audit and Internal Control Department
As Data Protection Officer, she carries out regular audits across all departments and ensures compliance with procedures, ethical standards and the GDPR.
The Committees
Elected at the General Assembly each year, they assist the Board of Directors in overseeing the organisation’s activities and support it in its decision-making.
Alert procedure
Sacem provides its staff and third parties with a secure internal whistleblowing platform called SacemAlerte.
It enables users to report, in complete confidence and anonymously if they so wish, any irregularities relating to Sacem, such as cases of corruption, fraud, discrimination or harassment, as set out in more detail in the ‘Procedure for Receiving and Handling Reports’.
Disputes and mediation
A disagreement?
Are you a Collective management organisation or an independent body wishing to challenge a decision or initiate mediation? There are two procedures governing these processes, in accordance with the Intellectual Property Code.
- The procedure for handling disputes under the conditions set out in Article L.328-1 of the Intellectual Property Code.
Further information here - The mediation procedure before the Commission for the Supervision of Organisations Managing Copyright and Related Rights (known as the ‘CCOGDA’) under the conditions set out in Articles L. 327-6 and R. 321-35 to R. 321-44 of the Intellectual Property Code.
Further information here