"The strongest asset, which gives CISAC its unique position and influence internationally, is the voice of creators, which we must further strengthen and highlight through our strategy."
This was stated, among other things, by CISAC Director General Gadi Oron during his opening speech at the first in-person CISAC General Assembly held on June 1 in Mexico after four years, due to the pandemic.
Representatives from 72 Collective Management Organizations from around the world, covering all artistic repertoires (music, audiovisual productions, theatre, literary works, and visual arts), participated in the annual General Assembly organized with the exemplary hospitality of the Mexican Organization SACM. The event featured an opening spectacular concert of orchestral music by Mexican composer Arturo Márquez, accompanied by a children's choir.
"Color has returned to the world of CISAC in the form of human and social interaction," commented famous composer and CISAC President Björn Ulvaeus (ABBA) on the live reconnection of the community.
Greece was represented by AUTODIA
Greece was represented at the General Assembly of the International Confederation by AUTODIA, through AUTODIA’s Board President Yiannis Glezos, and Director General Margarita Panagiotopoulou.
Director General of the Greek Organization Margarita Panagiotopoulou shared her own experience from the Greek market on a special panel, alongside representatives from Georgia, Japan, Brazil, Kenya, and Cape Verde, regarding state interventionism in the supervision and operation of CMOs and the collective management sector in general.
Gadi Oron specifically referred to the remarkable, successful case of AUTODIA in CISAC's history, which, after the collapse of the copyright market in the country, with the steady support of the International Confederation, managed last year to record a very significant increase in its revenues. "Today, we can proudly say that Greece is a fully functional market," he concluded.
AUTODIA, as a full member of CISAC, is pursuing a brilliant course in the music copyright collective management sector in Greece, for the benefit of its members—Greek composers, lyricists, and music publishers—as well as sister societies, following international standards and best practices of all major collective management organizations internationally.
Focus on the major challenges of digital technology
All critical issues surrounding creators' rights and the organizations representing them were put on the table, along with the most recent actions and initiatives to address them: the rapidly changing digital environment requiring large-scale investments in new technology, Artificial Intelligence with its emerging opportunities and challenges, traditional CMO principles challenged by for-profit entities, the economic crisis, and inflation internationally.
"This is the power of CISAC: a global community sharing its challenges and opportunities for the benefit of our creators, within a changing reality that is not always fair or logical," emphasized CISAC Board Chairman and General Manager of UBC Brazil Marcelo Castello Branco.
Björn Ulvaeus noted that the majority of creators today do not have the luxury of spending time to build their careers and develop their talent. In the streaming world, they struggle desperately to generate revenue and promote their work. Hundreds of thousands of works are uploaded daily to platforms, but few creators generate truly significant income.
Value in CISAC's technology and IT services
Through the review of CISAC's strategy, the value that CISAC member organizations place on CISAC's technology and IT services was highlighted—an area that remains a top priority for the Confederation.
CISAC continues to promote the adoption of the ISWC (International Standard Musical Work Code) across the entire music value chain, not only by music publishers, but also by digital services and platforms.
