SAMRO distributes R22 million in unclaimed royalties

This after a project to track and trace members who needed to update their banking details commenced in April 2021. SAMRO CEO Annabell Lebethe says the collective management organisation embarked on a large-scale process to contact thousands of members to request that they update their banking details.

The initiative was further enhanced by the launch of the Unclaimed Royalties platform in November to enable members to ascertain if they have accumulated royalties because of outdated banking details. The platform allows members to update their banking details in order to receive their payouts, and to date, the project has achieved a total distribution of R22m.

“SAMRO is committed to achieving optimal business operations and enhancing member distribution through efficiency and effectiveness,” Lebethe said. 

“In order to ensure accuracy and transparency, SAMRO strongly encourages all members to regularly update their banking details and closely monitor the Unclaimed Royalties platform on the SAMRO website to check if they have accrued royalties due to them.”

She added: “It is worth noting that 1 011 members have already engaged with the digital platform and 32% of those members have successfully updated their banking details in the last six months, resulting in a significant improvement in the organisation’s ability to pay members with accrued royalties.

Lebethe said that of the 1 011 members, 68% were yet to submit their updated banking details and urged them to do so to finalise the process.

“Members can easily log in to the digital platform to check if they have royalties due to them and complete the verification,” she said.

Visit the SAMRO website for more information.