SUISA’s cost-coverage deductions

SUISA deducts a percentage from all collected revenues to cover its administration costs.

The cost-coverage deduction corresponds to a fixed percentage, set annually (or per settlement period) by SUISA’s Board, of the remuneration collected from

  • performances and broadcasts (including sound and audiovisual recordings made by radio and TV, and transmissions via cable networks).  In principle, the deduction is the same for all performances, broadcasts and transmissions. In the case of sound and audiovisual recordings made by radio and TV, the cost-coverage deduction may not exceed 25% of the collected revenues.
  • For tariffs governing the manufacture of other sound and audiovisual recordings, the maximum percentage is 15%. The percentage rate is set by SUISA’s Board each year.
  • SUISA’s Board sets the cost-coverage percentage rate each year for Common Tariffs (CT = Common Tariffs applicable to all Swiss collecting societies) 4 (blank media levy), 4i (levy for storage media and hard disk drives built into digital devices), 5 (rental of works), 6b (public lending rights in libraries), 7 (uses in schools), 8 (reprographic rights outside schools), 9 (business internal networks), 10 (use of works and performances by persons with disabilities), 11 (use of archived works, use of archive recordings by broadcasters), 12 (provision of set-top boxes with storage and vPVR), and 13 (orphan works), as well as for foreign revenues.

Average cost-coverage deductions in 2022

  • Domestic performance and broadcasting rights: 14.54%
  • Domestic reproduction rights and remuneration rights: 12.77%
  • Online: 15.00%
  • Foreign revenues: 3.99%
  • Average cost-coverage deduction 12.77%

The average cost-coverage deductions for 2022 will be published in June 2023 after the General Meeting has approved the 2022 financial statements.

Allocations to the Foundations

After the cost-coverage deductions are made, additional deductions are applied to certain domestic revenues for the benefit of the two SUISA foundations. The revenues concerned are from the following uses:

  • Performances and broadcasts, including transmissions via cable networks;
  • Manufacture of sound and audiovisual recordings by radio and TV for broadcasting purposes;
  • Blank media levy (CT 4);
  • Levy for storage media and hard disk drives built into digital devices (CT 4i);
  • Rental of works (CT 5);
  • Public lending right (CT 6b);
  • Uses in schools (CT 7);
  • Reprographic rights outside schools (CT 8);
  • Business internal networks (CT 9);
  • Access to works and services by persons with disabilities (CT 10);
  • Use of archive recordings by broadcasters (CT 11)
  • Provision of set-top boxes with storage and vPVR (CT 12).

The deductions do not apply to internet uses (audio and video on demand offers).

The deductions are allocated to the following foundations:

7.5% of these revenues are credited to the SUISA Pension Fund for Authors and Publishers, and 2.5% are allocated to cultural promotion (FONDATION SUISA).