Announcement by AUTODIA The whole truth about negotiations with EDEM

1. AUTODIA informs all creators, as it should, that: in January 2020, the Unions of Music Composers, Creators and Publishers were twice invited to negotiations, at a specific place and time, to find a solution to the problem of intellectual property rights. The Unions did not respond to the invitations and applied for a license for EDEM, without investigating whether there was a possibility of cooperation, at a time they knew that the existence of two Organizations would destroy the market.
2. In May 2020, when EDEM was licensed, AUTODIA came back, requesting the start of negotiations for the Union of the two CMOs. EDEM postponed the issue to a time later.
3. Negotiations finally started in July and were suspended in October, because there was no agreement between the parties on the evaluation of the Joint Ministerial Decision (JMD) which unfairly transferred all the assets of EYED to EDEM, at a time when EDEM had only 1/10 of the members of EYED. 
4. AUTODIA, as it owed to its members, appealed to justice, both for the manner of issuance of the EDEM’s license by the Ministry of Culture, and in relation to the "dowry" given to it by the Joint Ministerial Decision, wronging all other creators who did not become members of the new organization.
5. In this toxic environment, AUTODIA managed, relying on its own forces and only, without dowries and support from the Greek State, to hold today at least 70% of the market in the field of music composers and songwriters.
6. In recent years, AUTODIA has been repeatedly audited (more than 6 times) by the Greek Tax Office, independent auditing companies (chartered accountants), Ministry of Culture, etc. as well as there is no CMO in Greece that has been audited more times than AUTODIA!
7. If EDEM wishes the union, as it reiterates at every opportunity, we remind it that the union can be achieved quickly by mutual agreement of the parties, based on the existing structures of AUTODIA and with direct access to ALL its financial data, most of which are already published on its website. This solution - which is the most logical - means royalty collections and documented distributions without interruption, and without the existence of transitional periods. At the same time, we expect EDEM to finally agree to jointly ask the Ministry of Culture to give us the results of the auditing company Ernst & Young from the audit to EYED. We are obliged to ask for absolute transparency in relation to the money that belongs to all the members of EYED and to the former members of AEPI; it is money that belongs to our members too.
8. AUTODIA remains consistent with its proclamations and efforts for the Union. A “single collective management organisation” cannot be a general and abstract concept that everyone will interpret in his own way. It should be determined in the interest of creators. Otherwise, the discussions are only pretentious.

AUTODIA Board