A bill that makes you disillusioned. In early January, the boss of Bilou’s Bar, in Le Creusot (Saône-et-Loire), received a letter from the Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers (Sacem) with five or six too many zeros, tell our colleagues from the JSL.
Stéphane Georges, in the business for thirty years, usually pays a little less than 1000 euros per year to broadcast music in his establishment. Seeing the fold arrive, the café owner therefore did not rush to open it, thinking that it was a simple renewal of his contract, expiring on April 1.
5.6 billion excluding tax
Surprise in mid-March, when he finally opened the letter: “In accordance with the general conditions of your contract, the amount due to Sacem in respect of copyright was revised during its annual renewal. The sum to be paid, for this period, is 5,620,277,272.50 euros excluding tax”, is it written in the missive!
“Surprised and finally amused”, the manager again sends an email to Sacem, which admits the mistake and pleads “computer error”. Hoping it won’t be the same song next year…