Jean-Claude Walter has left French collection society the Adami after four years as director general. General secretary Jean-François Dutertre will take over until a permanent replacement can be found.
“It is only natural to leave such a position after four years,” says an Adami spokesman, who insists that Walter’s departure has nothing to do with the organization’s recent controversial stance to favor a blanket license to compensate musicians for Internet piracy.
In December 2003, the Adami suggested that a fee be paid by Internet service providers to compensate musicians for losses incurred by illegal file-sharing. This provoked angry opposition from French labels bodies the SNEP and the UPFI, which argued that the move could make illegal downloads seem acceptable.
The Adami reaffirmed its support for such a license last month at Midem, the annual international music trade show in Cannes.