2 THE RECORDING INDUSTRY

C.–THE COLLECTION AND PAYMENT OF RIGHTS FROM PUBLIC PERFORMANCE
C.1–A brief history
The first society was established in 1917 to act specifically with regard to theatres - Sociedade Brasileira de Autores
Teatrais–SBAT, followed in 1938 by the Associação Brasileira de Compositores e Editores–ABCA, and the União
Brasileira de Compositores–UBC–in 1942.
Because of a dispute between composers and publishers the Sociedade Brasileira de Autores, Compositores e Editores
de Música–SBACEM was set up in 1946. Ten years later saw the founding of the Sociedade Arrecadadora de
Direitos de Execução Musical no Brasil–SADEMBRA. In 1960 SICAM (Sociedade Independente de Compositores e
Autores Musicais) was created in São Paulo.
This proliferation of societies has caused a certain disorganization throughout the panorama of Brazilian copyright–
both for the owners and the users. In 1966 SBAT, UBC, SADEMBRA and SBACEM created the Serviço de Defesa do
Direito Autoral (SDDA), a central body to control distribution for these four societies. SICAM refused to participate.
In 1967 the Sociedade de Intérpretes e Produtores de Fonograma (SOCINPRO) was set up to include the rights of the
performers (mainly singers) and record companies (producers of phonograms).
C.2–The Central Collection and Distribution Office–ECAD
ECAD was created in 1973 by law # 5988 as a type of “asociation of asociations,” which united al of the societies
under this private enterprise to collect and distribute public performance royalties.
It began its activities in 1977 and today represents 13 societies (ABRAC, ABRAMUS, ACIMBRA, AMAR, ANACIM,
ASSIM, ATIDA, SABEM, SABEMBRA, SBACEM, SICAM, SOCINPRO e UBC). The top six are UBC, ABRAMUS,
AMAR, SOCINPRO, SICAM and SBACEM. All the societies basically distribute to their members (and to foreign societies)
the amounts gathered for them by ECAD–or sent to them by foreign societies.