During a media briefing in Rosebank last week, SAMRO CEO Nicholas Motsatse gave a formal statement on the Brenda Fassie matter, which included an explanation of an arbitration process currently underway between SAMRO and the executor of Fassie’s estate.
“I would like to state categorically that SAMRO does not owe any royalties to the late Ms Brenda Fassie or her estate,” he said. He admitted that there were recent royalties credited to her account that had been placed into suspense pending the outcome of the legal proceedings and following a SARS directive that no royalties should be paid out until further instruction was received.
Regarding the dispute with the executor, Motsatse said that following on an earlier suggestion from SAMRO an agreement was reached to appoint an arbitrator. The arbitrator has been appointed and what is left is the finalisation of the appointment, after which it will be decided whether SAMRO did, as it claims, pay Fassie all the royalties owing to her.
“We are willingly to open up our books and have nothing to hide,” Motsatse said, stressing that SAMRO had only administered Fassie’s performing rights, which are payable to the composers of songs. According to the information reported to SAMRO by Fassie, she did not write always write the music that she recorded, and the majority of her income would therefore have been derived through record sales, concert performances and so on.
“At the very most, she would have received roughly a fifth of her total income from SAMRO,” Motsatse stated. “So, if Brenda Fassie was robbed, it was not by SAMRO.”
More information is available at www.samro.org.za.
