SUISA achieves the best annual result in its 100-year history

Zurich, 28 June 2023 - SUISA, the cooperative society for authors and publishers of music in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, presented its 2022 business results at the General Meeting. Just in time for SUISA's centenary - MECHANLIZENZ, the first copyright society in Switzerland, was founded in 1923 - the company achieved a record result. The Group turnover from copyrights at home and abroad amounted to 180.5 million Swiss Francs in 2022. Compared to the previous year (149.6 million Swiss Francs), this is an increase of 20.7%. The SUISA Group can therefore distribute 145.0 million Swiss Francs from the past business year to composers, lyricists and publishers of music. This is 9.1% more than last year (CHF 132.9 million).

Recreation in the concert area

The concert sector had recovered from the Corona pandemic in 2022 and the income in this sector more than tripled (from CHF 4.5 million in 2021 to CHF 18.8 million in 2022). Overall, SUISA was able to increase its income from performance rights from 28.4 million Swiss Francs to 47.2 million Swiss Francs (+66.4%). Last year, however, the after-effect of the Corona pandemic could still be felt: The income from performance rights did not yet reach the level of the time before the pandemic, because the number of large-scale concerts only increased again in the course of 2022. However, a significant increase is expected again in 2023 and, according to current forecasts, the losses due to the pandemic should be overcome from 2024.

Successful online business

SUISA was also able to significantly increase its revenues in the online sector - streaming and downloads. In 2023, they amounted to CHF 41.8 million, which corresponds to an increase of 52.0% compared to the previous year (CHF 27.5 million). This is due in particular to higher income from the subsidiary SUISA Digital Licensing AG and Mint Digital Services AG, the joint venture with the US company SESAC. SUISA Digital Licensing again won various foreign sister societies and publishers as new clients last year and was able to conclude better contracts with online service providers. In the meantime, SUISA Digital Licensing has concluded contracts for the use of music with more than 70 streaming providers worldwide.

Revenues from broadcasting rights remained stable again last year and amounted to CHF 62.9 million (2021: CHF 64.0 million). SUISA recorded a 3.8% increase in income from blank media levy (fair compensation revenues) to 15.1 million Swiss francs (2021: 14.6 million Swiss francs). In terms of income from mechanical rights, the declining trend of the last few years continued in 2022 and, at 3.6 million Swiss francs, income was 16.3% less than in 2021 (4.3 million Swiss francs).

87 out of 100 Francs for authors and publishers

Including secondary income of CHF 12.2 million (2021: CHF 15.4 million), SUISA Group's total turnover amounted to CHF 192.6 million (2021: CHF 165.0 million). In total, SUISA pays out around 87 Swiss francs to authors and publishers of music out of every 100 Swiss francs it earns from copyrights.

Three new board members elected

At the General Meeting in Zurich, three new members were elected to the Board:

• Chantal Bolzern is a lawyer specialising in intellectual property and entertainment law.
• Tina Funk manages the publishing houses within the Concord Music Publishing Group for Germany, Switzerland and Austria
• Anna Murphy is an internationally renowned multi-instrumentalist, singer, composer and producer

Dissolution and distribution of the Corona Emergency Relief Fund

Furthermore, the members present at the General Assembly decided that SUISA's Corona Emergency Relief Fund will be dissolved at the end of June 2023. The remaining money from the fund will be distributed to authors and publishers with the supplemental distribution. SUISA had set up the Emergency Relief Fund in 2020 together with other measures for its members to compensate for Corona pandemic-related losses and declining copyright revenues.

SUISA's Annual Report 2022 is available online at www.suisa.ch/annualreport

The key figures of the SUISA Group from the financial year 2022 (in CHF million):

* SUISA Group's online revenues include the online revenues of SUISA Cooperative Society as well as SUISA Digital Licensing AG.