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For the Caribbean, CISAC (2011) reports that in 2009, a total of €3,300 million was collected, with the bulk (€3,294 million) being for music and only €5 million for nonmusical collections. As shown in Figure 1 below, Caribbean collections have ?uctuated between 2007 and 2009, with a dip in 2008.
Figure 1: Collections by Caribbean Collection Societies, 2007 - 2009
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Source: CISAC (2011)
According to Caribbean Copyright Link, gross licensing collections in CCL territories in 2009 were US$4,000,000. Payments to major territories increased from US$177,088 in 2003 to US$752,802 in 2008. The major countries to which remittances were sent were the United States, the United Kingdom and the Caribbean. Given the success of many of the Caribbean recording artists it is surprising the relatively low levels of royalties coming to the region. This can be explained by the fact that many of the region’s artists and authors are not members of the various national copyright societies. Another challenge relates to the under-reporting of Caribbean music particularly in the United States. Copyright societies like the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) only survey the top radio stations and highest grossing concerts and so a signi?cant share of the public performances of Caribbean music goes undocumented. In terms of the way forward, it is increasingly recognized that intellectual property institutions need to be strengthened to monitor and collect the value embedded in creative products. This includes capacity building along with public education. There also needs to be more active involvement by copyright owners in the dissemination, marketing and export of copyright works. Lastly, a change in perspective is required to fully appreciate the economic value of the creative industries Source: Mark James, V. (2007). The Economic Contribution of Copyright-Based Industries in Jamaica. Retrieved from http://www.wipo.int/ip-development/en/creative_industry/pdf/1009E-3.pdf.
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Volume 3 July - September 2011