His stage name: “EREINez”. A Basque-French play on words that says a lot about the approach. The witty remark came from Beñat Elizondo, the owner of the Béhobie hostel. One way to translate it is “it sows, not”. By extension: “Sacem no.” It has been several years that the 67-year-old man has been openly opposing the Society of Authors, Composers, and Publishers of Music. They ask him to pay copyright fees, he accuses them of opacity in the payment of local artists.
Sentenced by the court to pay nearly 9,000 euros for non-payments over the period 2019-2024, Beñat Elizondo continued to defy French institutions, refusing to pay the amount. A “political battle”, ultimately lost by financial KO: “They brought in a bailiff, who emptied Xaia’s account on January 14. They took two-thirds of the amount claimed, 5,300 euros. Normally, they are obligated to notify beforehand. I was only informed on the 16th,” he rages.
Questions unanswered
The battle led by the rebel has raised awareness and planted the seed for this group. However, the group does not intend to engage in a deadly duel with Sacem. “EREINez can also be translated as ‘sowing’,” preferred Pantxix Bidart, the association’s first president. The main goal is to collect answers to lingering questions from the collecting authority: “How is the money distributed? Based on what criteria? What is the place of Basque music in this distribution?” he raises, citing the figure of 11.3 million euros collected in 2024 by the Sacem of Anglet, which extends to departments 64, 40, and 65.
The new platform is also considering an alternative. In the Spanish Basque Country, an entity named Ekki has become independent from Sgae, the Spanish equivalent of Sacem. A model to study and possibly join. “They are very interested in our work,” emphasizes Mattin Laaksonen, EREINez’s coordinator.
The association in the north of the Bidassoa currently has only about ten members, but they claim to have a lot of support in the Basque music scene, from Anje Duhalde to Xutik, Odei Barroso, and Erramun Martikorena. Café owners could also join the movement, according to Xina, the owner of the Pyrénées in Bayonne, present this Tuesday. It is the desired snowball effect.
