SUISA members are committed to a strong public service

Around 1,400 SUISA members – composers, lyricists and publishers of music in Switzerland such as Marc Sway, Gotthard, Dabu Fantastic, Peter Reber or Sina – successfully brought a resolution to the Swiss parliament yesterday. They asked the parliamentarians to keep in mind the role of licence fee-financed broadcasters and to maintain their position during the upcoming autumn session in the debate over the ‘No Billag’ (no radio and television fees) initiative and attempts to restrict the SRG SSR.

Fee-financed broadcasters ensure a rich range of cultural offerings
The SRG SSR broadcasters are enormously important for Swiss music professionals; they discover their music and offer them an important platform. Licence fee-financed broadcasters fulfil a public service mandate which includes music and culture. The public service mandate obliges the SRG SSR to provide this cultural range and thereby contribute to the development of a rich cultural heritage. With a 20% proportion of Swiss music – on average more than twice as much as private broadcasters – the SRG SSR radio stations spread Swiss music of all genres. Their programmes, with special broadcasts and reports etc., also provide an important platform for Swiss artists.

Reduced SRG SSR programme range: far-reaching consequences for music professionals
This platform is jeopardised by the ‘No Billag’ initiative. A current demand from the National Council Transport and Telecommunications Committee (TTC-N), however, is also a step in the wrong direction. The Commission has stepped back from its motion to abolish niche SRG radio stations, but it is now considering an SRG man-date with fewer stations. This would have far-reaching consequences for Swiss music professionals: a loss of cultural diversity would be inevitable.

The members of SUISA warn of the destruction of licence fee-funded media. These media strengthen the cultural identity of linguistic and regional minorities and encourage exchanges between them. This is enormously important for the cohesion of a multilingual nation.

Further information:

Giorgio Tebaldi
Head of Communications SUISA
Tel. +41 44 485 65 03 / +41 79 292 22 42
Email: giorgio.tebaldi@suisa.ch

About SUISA
SUISA is the cooperative society for composers, lyricists and music publishers in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Its 36,000 members include music professionals from all disciplines. In Switzerland and Liechtenstein, SUISA represents the musical repertoire of two million authors and publishers worldwide. It grants licences to use this repertoire to more than 90,000 customers. In 2017, SUISA and US performance rights organisation SESAC founded the joint venture Mint Digital Services. The company manages invoicing and administration for the transnational music licensing businesses of SESAC, its subsidiary the Harry Fox Agency and SUISA with online providers, and also offers its services to publishers.

With approximately 200 employees in Zurich, Lausanne and Lugano, SUISA generates a turnover of more than CHF 154 million. As a non-profit organisation, it distributes the proceeds from licences to music authors and publishers after deducting the administrative costs.