La Story (Les Echos) Analysis: Cécile Rap-Veber of SACEM—1.7 Billion Euros in Copyright Collection, French-American Film Festival, AI Learning, and Creator Protection
August 11, 2026
Overview
As a special August feature, the daily podcast La Story from the French economic newspaper Les Echos is presenting a series of interviews with five top business leaders on the theme of "Management and Culture." In this second installment, journalist Martine Robert interviews Cécile Rap-Veber, General Manager of SACEM (Société des auteurs, compositeurs et éditeurs de musique).
SACEM is a music copyright management organization founded in 1851 that has protected the rights of authors, composers, and music publishers. Rap-Veber is the first woman to lead the organization since its inception. The discussion covers the origins of SACEM and its global collection mechanism, Rap-Veber's own upbringing in an artistic family, cultural support projects funded by France's private copying levy system, and the issues surrounding AI (artificial intelligence) and copyright in music.
The central themes of this episode are initiatives to bring culture to rural and suburban areas, centered on the transmission of art, and a strong sense of urgency regarding creator protection in the age of AI.
What is SACEM? The World's Largest Copyright Collection Organization
Rap-Veber describes SACEM as a "French treasure." Its origins date back to 1851. At the time, music distributors refused to pay royalties to authors and composers for works performed by orchestras in cafes and other venues. The authors, composers, and music publishers realized that they would be stronger if they united like a cooperative, so they formed an association. This evolved into the non-profit civil company known as SACEM.
For 175 years since then, SACEM has collected copyrights for creators and music publishers around the world and has also provided social protection. It is said that after deducting operating expenses, all remaining funds are returned to members and creators worldwide, and the organization has not made a single euro in profit in 175 years.
A notable feature is its international character from the very beginning. Composers like Verdi and Wagner joined SACEM to receive compensation when their works were performed in France. Subsequently, sister organizations modeled after SACEM were established around the world, such as SIAE in Italy, GEMA in Germany, and ASCAP in the United States, building a network for mutual rights collection. If David Guetta performs a concert in the United States, the sister organization ASCAP returns the royalties to SACEM.
Because of this efficiency and reliability, Elton John, Taylor Swift, K-pop artists, and Brazilian artists have also entrusted their global rights management to SACEM. SACEM's annual collection amount is approximately 1.6 billion euros (about 293.6 billion yen, calculated at 1 euro = 183.59 yen). With the spread of streaming, rights revenue has grown in recent years, and SACEM currently collects digital copyrights in over 150 countries. Its contracts with Google, Spotify, and Apple cover their streaming operations worldwide.
Growing up in a 17-generation artistic lineage
Rap-Veber comes from a family that has produced creators for 17 generations. She has many ancestors and relatives who were creators, such as the poet José-Maria de Heredia, the playwright Tristan Bernard, and her uncle, the screenwriter Francis Veber. Her mother was a journalist and theater director, and her father was a fashion designer.
However, she realized early on that she did not have the same talent as her ancestors and family, and she came to believe that "protecting them" was the best mission she could undertake.
Because her mother was a journalist in charge of theater reviews, she visited theaters from a young age. She says that memories of the places themselves, such as the Théâtre Édouard VII and the Théâtre Marigny, remain stronger than the works themselves. She was also moved by the way theater directors at the time invested their own money into their passions.
Her first concerts were Étienne Daho, Alain Chamfort, and France Gall. Since coming to SACEM, she has been delighted to meet people who shaped her artistic tastes, such as finding that Alain Chamfort was a board member and reuniting with Arnold Turboust, who worked on Daho's masterpiece "Pop Satori." She was also familiar with British and American pop-rock acts like Frankie Goes to Hollywood and INXS.
Photos of The Rolling Stones, Gainsbourg, Birkin, and France Gall are displayed in her office. While her parents had her listen to opera on Sundays, they played French chanson and variety music in the car during trips, including Delpech, Sardou, Julien Clerc, Gainsbourg, and Brel, and she says she fell in love with French songs at first sight. "Music flows in my blood. I cannot live a single day without music," she said, describing music as something like therapy.
Although Rap-Veber does not play an instrument, she revealed that she once bought an "air drum" kit that allows for practice with headphones. As a student, she worked as an extra on 90s sitcoms like "Hélène et les garçons" and "Le miel et les abeilles" to cover her law school tuition. She also shared memories of planning parties with a group of friends at venues like Castel and Régine.
Regarding her musical tastes, she admits to being "conservative." She says she keeps adding songs to a playlist she started for exercise, and even when it reaches 200 songs, she listens to them on repeat. She loves albums by Jean-Louis Aubert, Elton John, and Supertramp, and says she often listens to albums by Taylor Swift and Clara Luciani this year to lift her spirits with bright songs in the morning.
French-American Film Festival and the private copying system
SACEM is also a partner of the French American Film Festival held in Los Angeles. This is a project unique in the world, funded by the French "private copying" (copie privée) system.
Private copying is a system that allows the public to copy cultural content of their choice for private purposes, originating with the 1985 Lang Law. From the cassette tapes of the past to VHS, USB drives, hard disks, and today's smartphones, the means of copying have shifted alongside technological innovation.
US studios understood the opportunity presented by this private copying and chose SACEM as their partner to collect rights for their films copied in France. They decided not to treat these funds merely as their own revenue, but to dedicate them to cultural exchange between France and the United States, particularly the promotion of cinema. Thus, the Franco-American Cultural Fund was established, with SACEM serving as its president. Participating organizations include the Directors Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America, and the Motion Picture Association.
This film festival, held annually from late October to November, screens French films aiming for release in the United States. In the past, films such as 'Emilia Perez' and 'The Count of Monte Cristo' have been featured, with 'Emilia Perez' being distributed by Netflix and entering the Oscar race. The previous year also saw screenings of 'Vie privée' and 'Nouvelle Vague' featuring Jodie Foster. It has become a venue for French and American producers, screenwriters, and directors to interact with students from American film schools and the general public. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the fund's establishment.
As France's largest private music support organization
Under the private copying system, 25% of the funds collected from devices such as smartphones are invested in SACEM's cultural projects. This amount reaches approximately 17 million euros per year (about 3.1 billion yen, calculated at 1 euro = 183.59 yen), making SACEM the largest private music support organization in France.
Support extends not only to creators' projects but also to screening and distribution projects. 'Creation only comes to life when it is distributed,' emphasizes Rap-Veber. Festivals, live producers, film and documentary producers, and platforms are all important partners for SACEM. SACEM supports 3,800 projects annually across France.
Rap-Veber is particularly focused on bringing culture to the 'last kilometer' of culture, such as in rural areas and suburbs. One of their flagship projects, 'Tous en Live,' enables small cafes in villages and small towns to support the activities of young groups and artists. The goal is for people to gather in cafes and for local social ties to be revitalized through music.
Expansion of projects through endowment funds and music education in schools
After Rap-Veber took office, an endowment fund (fonds de dotation) was newly established to complement cultural projects funded by private copying. Since the source of private copying funds is limited, the aim is to recruit private patrons (philanthropists) to multiply the scale of the projects.
Artists such as Julien Doré, Vitaa, Oli of Bigflo & Oli, Woodkid, Tété, and Princess Erika have joined this fund. Furthermore, business-oriented board members who open doors to patronage have joined, including Mercedes Erra of BETC, former Samsung president David Héberlet, Iris Knobloch, who serves as president of the Cannes Film Festival and Deezer, and music publisher Bruno Lion.
One of the projects the fund prioritizes most is cultural and artistic education in schools. In an initiative called 'Fabriques à Musique' (Music Factories), artists spend about 20 hours in classrooms, collaborating with students to create a single musical work. Genres range from contemporary music to rap, film music, and chanson.
Rap-Veber says this initiative has two meanings. One is to create 'collectivity' through group creation at a time when young people are increasingly isolated due to social media. The other is to open up future possibilities for 14- to 16-year-old students, helping them realize that they too might have creative talent. While they have previously conducted about 125 to 130 sessions per year, requests are coming in from more middle schools, and they are looking for patrons to secure funding. The goal is to reach areas that do not have music conservatories or rich cultural environments, rather than places that already do. Even in regions facing budget cuts, it is said that many local councilors highly value this as a private initiative led by artists.
Young people who discover their creativity through 'Fabriques à Musique' may eventually appear in concerts at local cafes through 'Tous en Live'—such a cycle is also expected. Over five years, SACEM has held 5,000 concerts in about 2,000 locations, creating jobs for 3,800 artists. Transmission is the key to renewing the next generation of creation, says Rap-Veber.
AI and Copyright—'Publicly available' does not mean 'copyright-free'
Rap-Veber specializes in intellectual property law and has worked as a lawyer and legal counsel at Universal Music, overseeing new business. She has also handled negotiations with YouTube, TikTok, Meta, and Netflix, and is said to have been described by Jean-Michel Jarre as having 'rebuilt SACEM for the 21st century.' However, she emphasizes that SACEM is an organization where 1,300 employees and a board of directors consisting of authors, composers, and music publishers develop strategy, and it is not the result of her efforts alone.
At the end of the conversation, the issue surrounding AI was discussed. Rap-Veber points out that AI is not only a new technology for distributing music but also a major concern for human creation in that it replaces humans in the act of creating.
On the other hand, she is not against AI itself. She reflects on the history of SACEM, noting that every time the phonograph, radio broadcasting, film, and television appeared, people said they 'could not adapt,' yet SACEM has always adapted. Citing Jean-Michel Jarre's words, 'Would Vivaldi have been Vivaldi without the violin?', she stated that Daft Punk would not have been Daft Punk without computers, and that innovation has always been a source of creation. She also mentioned that many creators are already utilizing AI.
What she is fighting for is that copyright must be respected when AI uses the works of creators around the world. All AI companies admit that they use publicly available content for training, but culture is inherently in a state of being publicly available because creators want to reach more people. 'However, being publicly available does not mean being copyright-free'—this is the core of her argument.
Using creators' works, paying for that use, and if successful, ensuring that success extends to the creators who made the training possible. She says it is logical to restore this balance. When the 2019 EU directive required digital platforms to sign contracts with rights management organizations, there were voices claiming that 'Google and Spotify would go bankrupt,' but she pointed out that, as a result, these companies are performing better than ever.
Finally, citing Jean-Michel Jarre's words, 'We can move around the world because we have a driver's license,' she stated that if everyone drove anywhere without rules, there would be accidents and deaths, and concluded by saying, 'I absolutely do not want creators to become part of those casualties.'
▶ Previous episode in this series: La Story (Les Echos) Analysis: Accor Chairman Sébastien Bazin on Cultural Management – Reviving the Lido, Orient Express, and Art Explora https://note.com/yondo/n/n265ebeacdd0e
▶ Read more articles on this topic: Magazine "Overseas Business Programs Not Available in Japanese" https://note.com/yondo/m/mefd2fd5a305c
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