Aad Kosto, a former Secretary of State for Justice and currently the Chairman of the Stichting Auteursrechtbelangen (the Copyright Interests Foundation) and VOI©E, the recently created sector organisation, made a forceful case for creative rights, arguing for greater copyright involvement by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.

Creativity is not only important for culture, its significance to the economy is difficult to overestimate. According to Mr Kosto, "Many people in various sectors ultimately owe the living they make to the authors providing the content." While national politicians are showing increasing interest in copyright issues, that stems from concerns about the payments to be made by consumers rather than from any sympathy for authors and their representatives.

Within the Government, copyright is almost exclusively the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice. Its growing economic importance has also led the Ministry of Economic Affairs to become increasingly involved in copyright issues. Mr Kosto argued, "From the point of view of the authors and their work in particular, it is highly desirable for the Minister for Culture (Mr Plasterk) to get involved alongside the Minister for Justice, as these are of vital importance for the culture of our country. Copyright should enjoy support throughout the Government and the Government should keep the position of the authors in mind."

Understanding both the creator and the user’s point of view

Mr Kosto also pointed to the responsibility and influence of the rights organisations. "It is generally recognised that you should pay for using work protected by copyright. However, there is a lot of uncertainty and lack of understanding among politicians and businesses about the fact that payments have to be made to different rights organisations," says Mr Kosto. That is why the Dutch rights organisations have recently decided to improve their image by signing a code of conduct and uniting in the sector organisation VOI©E. Regarding this development, Mr Kosto says,  "This code of conduct is unique throughout the world and shows that the sector recognises the need to raise awareness and respect amongst those who have to pay. And the establishment of VOI©E and the endorsement of the code of conduct, meaning that the organisations will be subject to the judgement of colleagues in the sector, also show that the sector is perfectly capable of self regulation," says Mr Kosto.

Financial performance

Over recent years, Buma/Stemra has worked hard to keep cost levels down to a minimum. The effects of this can again be seen in the annual figures for 2007. Buma’s turnover increased substantially in 2007, rising by €9.5 million to a total of €129.4 million. The growth came from all the revenue segments. The biggest increase was to be seen in the Radio & TV Performing Rights segment, which rose from €42.3 million in 2006 to €45.7 million in 2007. Thanks to a successful investment strategy, Buma’s financial result rose by €1.1 million to €10.4 million. This means that, ultimately, for each euro collected Buma retains only 1.2% to cover its costs (2006: 2.1%). Stemra also experienced a rise in turnover from €48.4 million in 2006 to €51.6 million in 2007. The strongest growth was achieved within the Special Licensing revenue segment, from €7.1 million in 2006 to €9.9 million in 2007. Buma had €132.9 million available for distribution in 2007 (€121.6 million in 2006) while Stemra had €54.0 million (€50.3 million in 2006).

About Buma/Stemra

Buma/Stemra represents the interests of Dutch and foreign music authors and music publishers in the Netherlands. Buma/Stemra's core task is the commercial exploitation (collection and distribution of remunerations) and management of music copyright for composers, lyricists and music publishers affiliated to the organisation. Buma/Stemra runs its services efficiently along commercial lines by representing the interests of music authors and providing services of the highest possible quality at the lowest possible cost. Buma/Stemra protects music copyright and supports music as a cultural (national) product. As such, the organisation goes far beyond the mere commercial exploitation of music copyright.