Q&A ICE

What is ICE?

ICE stands for International Copyright Enterprise. It is a centralised database for musical works.

Currently, ICE already handles the documentation of England (PRS), Sweden (STIM), the Netherlands (BUMA), Denmark (KODA), Norway (TONO) and Finland (TEOSTO). Germany (GEMA) will follow suit.

Why does Sabam work with ICE?

Twice as much work? No, thank you.

All authors’ societies need a work documentation. Without documentation, they cannot know among which authors, composers or publishers they have to distribute the royalties.

ICE ensures that authors’ societies no longer have to handle this information each separately. ICE offers a centralised database which the various societies can use for their distributions.

Discussion before settlement instead of after

Sabam sometimes receives too many or too few royalties for its members from a foreign authors’ society. In that case, we either return royalties or demand the appropriate amount for our member. Unfortunately, this happens after the settlement, meaning you may have to wait even longer on your appropriate share.

Thanks to ICE, any discussion on the distribution will take place before the settlement.

So if BUMA applies a different share than Sabam, we will take action in advance instead of afterwards.

Cost efficiency

Sabam continuously strives to operate more efficiently and to distribute royalties at the lowest possible cost. Working with ICE helps us to ensure that the difference between the royalties collected for you and the royalties distributed to you remains as low as possible.

Which authors’ societies are affiliated to ICE?

In July 2016:

PRS - England

STIM - Sweden

POLARIS – Finland, Denmark, Norway

BUMA – the Netherlands

Sabam - Belgium

GEMA - Germany

All customers of ICE are listed here: http://www.iceservices.com/our-customers/

I have a problem/question. Who can I contact?

Be sure to check out the answers to the questions in this list.

If you haven’t found an answer to your question regarding the new way of working, please contact ice@sabam.be.

If you prefer the phone, give us a call at 02/286.84.84. Our Customer Service 1st line will direct you to the appropriate specialist.

I’m an author/composer. How can I declare musical works?

Just like before: online via MyWorx or on paper.

MyWorx will get a new look and the form will look slightly different, but otherwise everything remains the same.

You can freely choose distribution keys and only the other Sabam rightholders have to confirm the distribution.

Do you work with a publisher? Then he will declare your works. You needn’t sign the declaration nor confirm it online anymore. You can view the declarations of your publisher via Surf&Search or the all new MyAgreements.

In the future you will be notified by mail if a publisher includes you in a work. This mail notification is not yet available today.

We recommend that you as an author/composer always perform a work declaration without the publisher. This way you establish the proportion between the various intellectual rightholders. No one can change this proportion without contacting you.

Via MyWorx in MySabam

If your manager has an account, he can register musical works for u via the new MyWorx. You then only need to confirm them online.

Interested? Give your manager a proxy using this form.

Proxy for managers193.81 KB

On Paper

Fill in the declaration form, have it signed by the other Sabam rightholders and send it to member@sabam.be or Rue des Deux Eglises 41-43, 1000 Brussels.

Sabam aims to abandon paper by 2020. Why not switch to MyWorx now?

Request your unique data via member@sabam.be and register at sabam.be.

Registration form for unpublished musical works and lyrics166.86 KB

I’m a publisher. How can I declare musical works?

You can declare works via CWR (Common Works Registration. More information available on the CISAC website) or via MyWorx.

Tape and Tape Lite are no longer accepted.

Are you a mid-sized publisher for whom CWR is too large an investment and MyWorx too labour-intensive? Rest assured. We are working on an alternative. Until then, MyWorx is the best option.

The most important change is the introduction of the Agreement. Instead of sending Sabam a publishing contract, the publisher registers the agreements he has established with his authors/composers himself.

Therefore, you needn’t send us publishing contracts anymore. Sabam can no longer register those contracts.

Below you will find in a nutshell how to declare new works.

Step 1: The agreement

An ‘agreement’ is like a coat rack in which you can deposit your works. It establishes two things:

- The territory (Belgium, world, Benelux,…)

- The start date

You can declare a new agreement starting 20 July via:

- MyAgreements (using your current eAccount)

- On paper (PDF will be available on our website)

After the declaration you receive an ICE Agreement Number. You can then declare works using this number, or by using the sequence number on your declaration.

The Agreement Numbers of the contracts you have declared with us in the past will be visible in MyAgreements.

Step 2: The works

By referring to the ICE Agreement Number during the work declaration, you apply a territory and start date to the work distribution.

You can declare works via:

-CWR (specify the ICE Agreement Number in your file)

-MyWorx

-On paper (PDF will be available on our website)

Sabam aims to abandon paper by 2020. Why not create an eAccount now?

Request your unique data via member@sabam.be and register at sabam.be.

If you have any questions regarding the declaration of works, please contact ice@sabam.be or call our Customer Service on 02/286.84.84. We will direct you to the appropriate specialist.

What’s with the double entries in Surf & Search?

Before ICE, you would see one line per work in Surf & Search. The same goes for ICE, however there must first be more than €10 available for a work.

For instance, it’s possible you can not only see your own work declaration, but also the declaration by publisher X or publisher Y. That makes three lines for the same musical work.

Once your work is performed on the radio, TV, live,… and it has generated at least €10 in royalties, we ask ICE to merge the various lines into one musical work with one royalty distribution. This way, we can precisely calculate the royalties, while taking into account everyone’s share.

What’s with the double entries in MyTrax?

Before ICE, you would see one line per musical work in MyTrax. The same goes for ICE, however there must first be more than €10 available for a musical work.

For instance, it’s possible you can not only see your own work declaration, but also the declaration by publisher X or publisher Y. That makes three lines for the same musical work.

I am a publisher. What’s the purpose of MyAgreements?

Via MyAgreements you can:

Via New Request:

- Declare new agreements. This is the first step in the work declaration. More information on how to declare works can be found under ‘I am a publisher. How can I declare musical works?’

- Modify or terminate agreements

- Unregister works or composers

Via My Requests:

View the agreements you have submitted online or on paper since 20 July

Via Search Agreements:

Consult the agreement database of ICE. There you can find all agreements you have previously declared with us as publishing contract.

I am an author. What’s the purpose of MyAgreements?

Via MyAgreements, an author can see which publishers declare works in which he appears as a rightholder and under what conditions (start date of the agreement and the territory).

I am a publisher. I want to unregister one or more works and/or composers/authors. How can I do that?

Composer(s)/author(s):

- MyAgreements > New Request > Termination

- Select an agreement

- Select the composer(s)/author(s)

ICE will create a new Agreement number for the selected composer(s)/author(s) and will add an end date.

A list of works:

A list of works within the same agreement (but not the entire agreement)

- Send an email to ice@sabam.be and specify the following information:

Work data: titles + ICE work key or composers/authors
ICE agreement code
Assignor name of agreement (Composer/Author for original publication or Original publisher for sub-publication)

Assignee name of agreement (Publisher for original publication or Sub-publisher for sub-publication)

End date
Subsequent collection (if necessary)

A list of works covered by different agreements

- Send an email to ice@sabam.be and specify the following information:

Withdrawal or cancellation of a claim
Title(s)
ICE work key (search via Surf & Search)
Description:
- Which claim is withdrawn (claim with composer/author, claim as sub-publisher, …)?
- Reason of withdrawal or cancellation (incorrect registration, contract termination,…).

- Terminate an agreement, except for a list of works

MyAgreements > New Request > Termination

Follow the steps until you can submit a list of works under ‘retention’.

ICE will create a new agreement number which only applies to the remaining works.

Entire Agreement:

- MyAgreements > New Request > Termination

I am a publisher. I want to unregister an Agreement and establish a subsequent collection period.

Go to MyAgreements.

Select New Request > Termination

There are three options:

-Cut off

-Unlimited subsequent collection

-Subsequent collection until a certain date

You can indicate your preference per retention (limited list of works).

I am a publisher. I want to declare a work, but I need an Agreement number. Where can I find this?

Have you already declared your agreement?

MyAgreements > Search Agreements for the entire ICE database

MyAgreements > MyRequest for your agreements submitted online or on paper since 20 July 2016.

You have not yet declared your agreement?

Declare a new agreement via MyAgreements > New Request

After a few days, you will receive your ICE agreement number by mail. You can always retrieve this via MyRequests.

I do not agree with a work distribution. What should I do?

If you have received a settlement and you do not agree with the assigned percentage or you see an incorrect work distribution in Surf&Search, please contact ice@sabam.be and specify the title and the ICE Work key or Sabam work code.

I am a publisher. I want to declare an administration contract.

No changes here. Please send a copy of the administration contract to member@sabam.be.