BUMA/STEMRA
BUMA/STEMRA was established to protect the interests of artists. It is an organization that manages copyright. In this article, you’ll learn how you might interact with BUMA/STEMRA as an artist or rights holder—or, conversely, as a user.
This document is intended for situations where you want to play music for other people in a professional context. This could be your own music or that of others. Of course, this is a very broad concept, but you may be required to pay a fee to the artist, or, if you are the artist, you may be entitled to compensation. BUMA/STEMRA was established to protect the interests of artists. It is an organization that manages copyright exploitation. Always keep this in mind when creating a program and be sure to include it in your budget.
Why does BUMA/STEMRA exist?
Good question! Usually, Dinand Woesthof doesn’t come to you personally to collect payment every time you play a Kane song. The vast majority of artists have delegated these tasks to BUMA/STEMRA. This means that this organization acts on behalf of the rights holder for the music you play. Usually, the artist is the rights holder, but it could also be a manager, a large company, or an investor. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about that yourself. BUMA/STEMRA handles the payments between the rights holder and the user.
How do they do that?
BUMA/STEMRA negotiates agreements with festivals, bars, stores, nightclubs, concert venues, offices, sports clubs, television programs, radio programs, and other places where music may be played. They discuss the royalties for the artists, often basing their calculations on general pricing agreements. For example, you pay a fixed monthly amount for playing music in a store or a percentage of a festival’s ticket sales. These percentages can vary depending on the type of festival, the number of visitors, the admission price, and the experience and lineup of the artists. Are you organizing a party featuring only highly experimental underground music? Then you pay a lower percentage than, for example, at an evening where multiple artists perform traditional Dutch folk songs. They send an invoice for these amounts. The money is deposited into BUMA/STEMRA’s account, and from there, they distribute it to the artists registered with them. In the meantime, the money remains in the organization’s account. BUMA uses that money to invest, hoping to generate even more revenue for the artists.
But I really don't like paying!
Well, other people work hard to make music, and it’s only fair that they get paid for it. There are ways to make sure you pay the correct amount, even though it can sometimes be difficult to determine. For example, during a dance event, a device can be set up that keeps track of exactly which songs are played. This ensures your payment goes directly to the right artists, and you don’t have to submit playlists. Are you using a venue for an event that frequently hosts events? Always check if they have a framework agreement with BUMA/STEMRA. Your event might be covered by it, and that could save you a significant amount of money!
If, from your expertise, you yourself have knowledge that would fit this topic, or if you see opportunities to improve this text, we look forward to receiving your message at info@cultuuracademy.nl.