SUISA and SWISSPERFORM - 130 years together for musicians
Most musicians are familiar with SUISA. Artists write songs and register them with a copyright society, which enables them to obtain remuneration for radio play, concerts or streams. A little-known fact: performers and producers are also remunerated for the use of their music - provided they are members of SWISSPERFORM.
SUISA and SWISSPERFORM are two key contacts for musicians in Switzerland. Below, the two organizations briefly present their respective structures and activities.
SUISA is the cooperative of music authors and publishers in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
So anyone who composes or publishes music should consider joining SUISA. This makes sense when their music is published or at least used in public. Indeed, this is where SUISA comes into play: in Switzerland, when music is broadcast on radio or television, performed in concert, streamed on platforms or played in restaurants or stores in the background, SUISA collects the royalties for this use and distributes them to the musicians whose music is used. Of the CHF 100 collected by SUISA, CHF 87 goes to music authors and publishers.
To obtain SUISA royalties, it's important to register your works as soon as possible - ideally, before publication. This applies in particular to music available on streaming platforms. Otherwise, there is a risk that no royalties will be paid for the first few days, weeks or even months of broadcasting. Works can be easily registered via the "My account" member platform.
For 100 years now, SUISA income has been an important source of income for many composers and songwriters. If you're also a performer or producer, you'd be well advised to join SWISSPERFORM too.
Since 1993, SWISSPERFORM has represented the interests of artists, phonogram producers, film producers (audiovision producers) and broadcasting organizations.
If you are an artist, SWISSPERFORM guarantees that the exploitation of your work is remunerated. SWISSPERFORM represents the neighboring rights of over 23,300 members. In addition, 10% of revenues are invested in cultural and social activities.
Switzerland is the only country in the world to have a state-supervised administration society for neighboring rights, which brings together all rights holders in the field of neighboring rights in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein. In addition to music and film performers and producers, broadcasters are also SWISSPERFORM rights holders. A member may engage in several activities and thus belong to different categories of rightsholder, such as a musician whose self-produced recordings published by his band are broadcast on the radio.
SWISSPERFORM's activities are similar to those of SUISA. Artists, producers and broadcasters assign their rights for administration. SWISSPERFORM then collects royalties from users on the basis of legally binding tariffs, and distributes these royalties to the rights holders in accordance with the distribution regulations approved by the Institut de la propriété intellectuelle (supervisory authority).
SWISSPERFORM collects royalties from users on the basis of a legal procedure. Together with the copyright societies, it negotiates the amount of compensation with the user associations and defines tariffs on this basis. SWISSPERFORM also collaborates with SUISA in the collection of royalties.
10% of SWISSPERFORM's total tariff revenue goes to various cultural and social institutions that are legally independent of SWISSPERFORM. These generous endowments make it possible to finance useful missions that would otherwise not be possible. Rightsholders thus benefit indirectly from these services.
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