One-on-One with Putco
On the 30th June 2006, long serving SAMRO CEO Rob Hooijer will step down when CEO designate Nick Motsatse gets ready to assume office the next day. Here Rob talks to Putco about his years at SAMRO, some profound memories and milestones.
PM: Rob, welcome to the first One-on-One column of the SAMRO Notes and thanks for agreeing to be the first one to be interviewed. Having served SAMRO for so long, you must be smiling with all SAMRO’s achievements?
RH: Thanks Putco, In 43 years of service delivery by SAMRO, one thing comes to mind; and that is, the fact that SAMRO is not a ‘one-man’ show and whatever achievements we have seen through these years, are a reflection of a collective effort, and I step down from such a culture.
PM: But it has been indeed a long rewarding reign for you as CEO.
RH: Yes, and the focus now is on the dynamic environment ahead of SAMRO, the exciting challenges, the digital environment, growth in volumes of usage of the music our members have created, new types of music users. The good thing is that we have a dedicated management team and the recent restructuring of the organization has taken into account my departure.
PM: With such a long spell, this must be an emotional time for you!
RH: When you give 29 years of your life to an organization there are always emotions, mixed emotions – on one hand you want the business to succeed and there are people you’ve worked with for a long time, believing in their capabilities and contribution while on another hand if one stays too long, "group think" and complacency could creep in.
PM: You spoke about digital environment…
RH: Yes, there are further opportunities which, SAMRO could be of service to the music industry or the music business both in South Africa and the whole of Africa. From a technology point of view, I strongly believe that the new leadership has what it takes to explore those opportunities. With the restructuring we have taken into consideration competencies within the organization for this environment.
PM: Tell us more about some of the milestones highlighting financial stability or growth.
RH: In the first 35 years SAMRO grew from being an organization with a turnover of R280 000 in 1963 to R70m gross income in 1995. It’s amazing to see the recent growth from 1996 to the current financial year where SAMRO should gross just over R200m income.
PM: Can you share with us the criteria considered for your successor in terms of the SAMRO constitution.
RH: Special knowledge in the administration of authors’ rights and/or copyright law. I am convinced that Mr. Nicholas Motsatse has such expertise as well as a true empathy for the situation in which creators find themselves. It has been some time now that I’ve been aware of the need for the organization to change and my decision not to pursue any further renewals of my service contract was arrived at after mature reflection.
PM: What do you mean by that?
RH: During this time of reflection, mindful of my duties towards SAMRO, its members, staff and members of our affiliated societies; I have done everything considered necessary or desirable to ensure a smooth transition with continuity of operations.
PM: If you were asked to assist the new leadership with one or two things because of your vast experience, would you avail yourself?
RH: If the board of Directors feels that my successor would benefit from my experience for a while after my formal retirement from my executive role, I could be available on a limited or part-time basis as long as Mr. Motsatse may deem it necessary.PM: On one hand there must have been challenges during your reign and on the other hand some exciting times! Let’s begin with the challenges.
RH: The most challenging one was to follow in the footsteps of the dynasty of those who started the organisation and that is not an easy thing. Another challenge has been dealing with desperate rights-holders who are faced with socio-economic problems and that was always the most touching - intervening in someone’s personal problems providing help where, perhaps there was a house or a car bank repossession threat
PM: Transformation might also have come with its fair share of challenges.
RH: We adopted a mandate to transform before the previous management team left and when they left; I pick up the baton, not tokenism but real meaningful transformation. Let’s look at it this way; since I took over, just over 50% of the management team is now made up of people from a previously disadvantaged background and I think that’s fulfilling. With the recent changes, there is an opportunity to leverage the status quo for the role SAMRO has to continue playing now and into the future.
PM: The exciting times?
RH: For me, I enjoyed the part I played in making SAMRO truly representative, from the management through to the staff. It was like the fulfillment of destiny. The completion of something that was started in 1962 and my role was to make sure it was fully implemented. Another exciting aspect was overseeing the growth in SAMRO’s revenue from broadcasters and other music users
PM: Any International highlights?
RH: The emergence of SAMRO after 1994 and the re-emergence of South African music as a voice on the continent and elsewhere gave birth to the growth we see today.
PM: And, you must have made lots of friendships?
RH: Oh Yes! Friendships and relationships, with many writers, the likes of Strike Vilakazi, Zakes Nkosi, Lance Field, Don Laka, Hilda Tloubatla, Victor Masondo, Hotstix, the Mdu Masilelas, the Nick Labuschagnes, Sizwe Zako, Johnny Clegg, Yvonne Chaka Chaka and with the young crew, the Zwai and Loyiso Bala brothers, Zola, Arthur and the list goes on.
PM: In your direct interaction with the members of SAMRO, there must be certain moments you will be taking with you, in your memories of the organization.
RH: I will remember the times when I would join a family in fighting against messengers of the court trying to remove either furniture or repossess a car from a member or a musician, and sometimes assets as big as studios; but we together would attempt to settle the matters, and to me such intervention invitations, I will always cherish.
PM: Any funny stories?
RH: In Cape Town I once got threatened by owners of a disco club late at night because they would not pay license fees, for the music they were using. Another case where SAMRO had to license an alternative club, popular to the gay community which, at that time was illegal, we still had to license its use of music regardless and when memories of that come to mind, I just smile. But one situation which was only funny with hindsight was in Guinea where we were thrown out of a hotel in Conakry because certain government officials at the time wanted to use the hotel bedrooms for their own business, and so they took us to some other place. Although those experiences were frustrating at the time we laugh at them today.
PM: Do you have any regrets?
RH: No regrets at all but I think there is still so much work to be done in infrastructural development within the SA music business, but that only presents a challenge.
PM: Now, let’s talk about what everyone probably wants to read about, the future, your future.
RH: (laughing) I want to take a good stress free holiday away from an office environment, with no office phone.
PM: And after that?
RH: I think we’ll cross the bridge when we get there, suffice to say that there are a couple of exciting things to do.
PM: If you were to sum it all up, what will you remember most about SAMRO?
RH: It’s the infinite potential in a single creator, given the right opportunity.
PM: That sounds pretty much philosophical, can you elaborate a bit more on that?
RH: I have seen successful artists blowing and sniffing their money away but I have also seen some modest folk looking carefully after their money and becoming financially very successful.
PM: Any sad moments?
RH: Yes, song-writers dying at an early age due to either car accidents or some dreadful diseases.
PM: On a parting note, there must be opportunities of growth and development influenced by political changes in South Africa, that you would want to share with us.
RH: Yes, access to the highest government officials got much easier since the advent of our democracy and with that came a whole lot of business opportunities in the form of new broadcasters and other music users, who we also have to pay tribute to. The one nation, one rainbow nation culture gripped our industry, developing in us stronger resolve to get together and discover each other as industry role players. This gave birth to the likes of SAMICI (South African Music Industry Co-operation Initiative) and SAMEX. It became easier for us to fulfill our mandate to assist younger collection societies from the neighboring countries and in Africa. From the workshops in townships, in arrears sometimes where there is no electricity to running workshops across Africa from the North to the South, from the East and beyond, these were made possible to attain because of our present political situation.
PM: Rob thanks a lot and on behalf of all our readers let me wish you all of the best in your future.
RH: Thanks Putco, all the best for you too.
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