SABC paid its first and only payment in 2017 on needle-time and paid everything to IMPRA and nothing to SAMPRA (who claim to represent 93% of the playlist). SABC is still estimated to owe somewhere between R100-300M ($5.5 - 16.6M) in outstanding needle-time royalties. IMPRA and SAMPRA, DSAC, DCDT and SABC have been in meetings to address the deadlock around payment of needle-time royalties and have reached a consensus as well as an agreement from SABC to make an advance payment to assist members.

The non-payment of rights-holders by AIRCO has caused the independent industry to work together to address these issues and create proper transparent streams of reporting and accounting so this type of situation never occurs again. WIN has suspended Airco’s membership and is completely supportive of empowerment and transformation going forward.

Section 9 sound recording communication to the public rights also known as “needle-time” rights are under-represented in South Africa, with only an estimated 15% of potential clients actually taking licenses. These rights are licensed to radio and TV broadcasters, retailers, banks, shopping malls, sport stadiums, restaurants and venues of various descriptions when they communicate a sound recording to the public.

SAMPRA recently published their annual report and we asked Pfanani Lishiva the CEO some questions and here they are with his answers: