Music Licensing for Business in the Netherlands
Playing music in a business is a little different from listening to music at home. Since you're playing for an audience with a business and commercial purpose, you will need different licenses from Buma/Stemra and Sena.
Music Licenses in the Netherlands
Businesses need three different rights to legally play music in their physical venue.
This covers the right to use a specific recording of a song and compensates the recording artist.
This covers the right to use the original composition and compensates the songwriters and composers.
This allows you to play the song in a public environment.
Soundtrack Your Brand covers the first two licenses, and in Netherlands, public performance licenses are obtained through Buma/Stemra and Sena.
For information on music licensing in another country, please click here.
The Value of Soundtrack
We offer a licensed music service for commercial use, with great features such as scheduling tools and an explicit filter.
Soundtrack Your Brand is able to provide this via direct relationships with publishers, performing rights organizations and record labels (including Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and more).
Our technology allows royalties to be fairly and accurately distributed back to music creators. Our Unlimited tier provides royalty payments that are approximately 5 times higher than those from streaming services for private use.
Unsupported Services
Services such as Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Tidal and Deezer are not suitable for use in business. These platforms are for personal, private use only - it is not legal to use them when playing music to an audience and you could risk being faced with a fine.
Steps to become fully licensed in the Netherlands
1) Trial Soundtrack
Start our 14 day free trial to use our properly licensed business music service immediately. No payment or commitment required.
2) Get a Public Performance License
If you don't have licenses from Buma/Stemra and Sena, please visit their websites to get your licenses.
3) Subscribe to Soundtrack
Enjoy the world's best business music service while staying fully compliant. Select a plan and add your payment details to officially join Soundtrack.
More Information about Music Licensing in the Netherlands
Overview
When running a business within the Netherlands it is possible that you will need two types of license if you want to play music within your business. Two organizations exist in the Netherlands that handle music licensing - BumaStemra and Sena.
BumaStemra ensures that composers, lyricists and publicists are paid when music is used under copyright law, whereas Sena handles neighbouring rights, making sure that artists, sessions musicians and producers are compensated for their creation.
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History
The Copyright Act was introduced in the Netherlands in 1912. The following year Buma, or the Bureau for Music Copyright, was created to license and collect payment for public performance of music. It was formed by two organizations, GeNeCo, the Dutch profession association for composers and the VMN, the Dutch music publishers association.
Two decades later, the need to also license the recording and reproduction of music lead to the launch of Stichting Stemra or the Foundation for the Exploitation of Mechanical Reproduction Rights for Authors. Vereniging Buma and Stichting Stemra now act as a singular organization to protect work from over 38,000 music creators.
SENA stands for Stichting Exploitatie Naburige Rechten Auteurs en Producenten or the Foundation for the Exploitation of Neighbouring Rights of Authors and Producers. It has been in operation since 1953. When The Neighbouring Rights Act or WNR, Wet op de naburige rechten, was introduced, the Dutch government authorised Sena to claim and distribute royalties for performers and record labels in relation to the act.
How to get a license in the Netherlands
For companies operating in the Netherlands it is easy to purchase the correct music license. Mijn Licentie NL is available to those in need of a music license, acting as a singular platform to cover all licensing requirements.
This was created by SCAN, the Service Centre for Copyright and Neighbouring Rights or Service Centrum Auteurs- en Naburige rechten. It is possible to apply for a license, get a quote and manage current licenses via the website.