BECAUSE CULTURE IS A VALUABLE ASSET.

Our history

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The revised Swiss Copyright Act (Federal Act on Copyright and Related Rights, CopA) is adopted. For the first time, rights are established for performing artists, producers of phonograms and audiovisual fixations and broadcasters. The Act, which entered into force on 1 July 1993, determines that only one organisations shall be responsible for the collective management of neighbouring rights (cf. Art. 42 para. 2 CopA).
The Swiss Performers' Association SIG (now known as the Swiss Performers' Cooperative Society), IFPI Switzerland, the Swiss Association for feature and documentary film production (now known as the Swiss Film Producers' Association), the Swiss Association for commissioned film and audiovisual (now known as Swissfilm Association), IFPI Video and the Swiss Radio and TV Broadcasting Corporation (SRG) jointly found SWISSPERFORM in the form of an association to be the collective management organisation for neighbouring rights. The first Board of Directors includes Karl Knobloch (President), André Amsler (Vice President), Ernst Brem, Hans-Joachim Frick, Polo Hofer (represented by Karl Zbinden), Heinz Marti, Marianne Sonder Stauffer, Jack Dimenstein, Ossi Drechsler, Willi Egloff, Wadek Glowacz, Peter Vosseler, Dominique Diserens, Anna Mäder-Garamvölgyi and Jürg Seiberth. The Managing Director is Yvonne Burckhardt. Both individuals holding neighbouring rights and associations representing groups of right holders may become SWISSPERFORM members. The Association's structure was chosen to grant the right holders' groups a high degree of internal autonomy.
The distribution rules, established by the Expert Committees are approved by the supervisory authority, the IPI, and in 1997, remuneration is paid out to the right holders for the very first time.
SWISSPERFORM collects the first tariff-based fees.

The distribution system for performers is being changed. Until then, there was a distribution based on the remuneration (fee)  received by the performers for the production of audio and audiovisual recordings and for broadcasts. A new distribution based on use has been introduced, i.e. one based on radio and TV broadcasts. This leads to a substantial increase in the number of performers being paid.

At an extraordinary Delegates' Assembly, a major revision of the Articles of Association prepared by the Board of Directors is approved. In the revised Articles of Association, the membership of associations is abolished, the Board of Directors is increased by two members and the latter and the Expert Committees are interlinked more closely.
The distribution system for the phonogram producers has been changed into a use-related (according to radio airplay) as well as turnover-related system. The new system enters into force with retroactive effect as per the distribution year 2017. Hence, in the future it is possible to conclude reciprocity agreements with foreign sister societies that provide a reciprocal exchange of remunerations.  

2021 SWISSPERFORM initiated an operational analysis to modernise the association. Guidelines principles were drawn up for our company, which define our mission, vision and core values. In addition, three fundamental basic principles were defined to guide the implementation of the strategy: «Mindset as a service provider», «Business orientation» and «Digital first». Based on these –  goals and sub-goals were defined – as well as more than 60 specific measures to be implemented over the next few years. These measures relate to various thrusts such as communication and reporting, leadership, processes, digitalisation and organisation.