The spread of music is inseparable from recording of music works. If the interpretation and performance of a song are not recorded and no copies are made, there can be only “live” performance of music. This task is carried out by the music industry.
As music industry are described the record companies which, on their own initiative, cost and business risk, proceed to record a song, create copies of this recording that set at the disposal of the consumers, either as a physical product (cd), or digitally over the internet. Record companies are called “producers of sound carriers”. When they produce also videoclips, they are called “producers of sound and vision carriers”.
There is a massive use of recorded music. On radio, on TV, at places of entertainment, at stores, through the internet. This massive use results on each Producer not being able to protect his rights on his own. Furthermore, the users of music are not able to contact each Producer separately, in order to conform to the law.
So, the need for collective administration of rights via a Collecting and Administrating Society emerged. Namely a union of persons that belongs to the Producers and is administered by them.
Establishment
Grammo was established in July 1994, as a non-profit company of the civil law, aiming at the collective administration of rights of Music Producers (record companies) and is the representative organization of collective management of the category of rightholders that it represents. It has been granted the relevant license from the Ministry of Culture (Gazette B’ 1164/30.12.1997) and is supervised by the Hellenic Copyright Organization (O.P.I.). It represents also the total of the domestic and international repertoire of the sound or sound and vision carriers.
By power of assignment contracts of its members and also bilateral agreements with counterpart Organizations in other countries, Grammo has a right to operate in Cyprus, for the collective administration and protection of the producers’ rights.
The list of Grammo’s registered rightholders as well as the list of Societies with which Grammo has signed reciprocal agreements are included in OPI’s certification.