More than EC$300 000 to be distributed to ECCO members

AS of Monday, the Eastern Caribbean Collective Organisation for Music Rights (ECCO) Inc., the St. Lucia-based music royalty collection and distribution organisation, began making royalty payments to its local members and members of international affiliates totalling some EC$340 000.

ECCO General Manager, Steve Etienne.

These payments will include:

• Fees collected in the ECCO territories for the period January 1 to December 31, 2012 from Broadcasting & General Performances;

• Previously unidentified performances rescued from pending sources; and

• Overseas royalties received from ASCAP (USA), COSCAP (Barbados), COTT (Trinidad & Tobago), JACAP (Jamaica), PRS (UK), SACEM (France) and SGAE (Spain).

Members should benefit from further distributions scheduled to be made in the months of November and December from royalties derived from the licensing of major live events, including Dominica’s World Creole Music Festival 2011/2012; St. Lucia Jazz 2012; St. Kitts Music Festival 2012; St. Lucia Carnival 2013; Vincy Mas 2013 (St. Vincent & the Grenadines); Spicemas 2013 (Grenada); and the National Performance Programme 2013 (St. Lucia).

ECCO General Manager, Steve Etienne, said: “Although ECCO’s disbursement of royalties is expected to surpass the level achieved last year, these royalties are still relatively small change when shared among our local and international songwriter members whose music continues to be enjoyed throughout the territories, but many users remain largely unlicensed. Only by stepping up the licensing of users across the OECS can creators benefit at a level relative to the wide use of the music repertoire ECCO administers.” (LS)