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Concert

Every live performance of your music counts. From a small concert to a major festival: whenever your work is performed, you’re entitled to compensation. Find out how that revenue finds its way to you.
Where do we collect royalties from?

Is your music being performed live at a festival or concert? If so, Sabam receives a royalty from the organiser for that performance. This royalty is intended for all authors, composers, and other rights holders of the performed works.

The fee is determined based on:

  • the artistic budget (what the organizer pays to the artists), or

  • the event’s revenue (such as ticket sales and sponsorship)

We always use the higher of the two as the basis for the calculation.

Is the event free? Then you’ll be compensated based on the artistic budget.

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From concert to payment: here's how it works

When your music is performed live at a concert or festival, your royalties go through several steps before they reach you:

  • The organiser reports which works were performed (setlists)

  • We match that music to the correct rights holders

  • Based on the budget and the music performed, we calculate your royalties

  • Sabam collects the royalties and distributes them among the relevant authors

The faster and more accurately the setlists are submitted, the faster you’ll receive your royalties

How do we calculate your reimbursement?

How much you receive depends on several factors:

  • Artistic budget or income: we use the higher of the two as a basis

  • Multiple stages or artists: at festivals, we divide the budget by stage or program block

  • Performance duration: the longer your work runs, the larger your share

  • Availability of data: if we don’t have information about the exact performance duration, we’ll use a standard factor to calculate your compensation as accurately as possible.

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We'll help you get started

When will you receive your reimbursement?

On average, there is a gap of about 9 months between the time your music is played live and when you receive payment.
Want to get paid faster?

Don't wait for the organiser. Submit your playlist yourself via MyPlaylist in MySabam. That way, we can process and pay out your royalties faster.
What if the organiser doesn't provide any information?

We’re doing everything we can to ensure you receive your royalties. But it helps a lot if you submit your setlist and performance details yourself. Because the sooner we know that your music was played, the sooner you’ll receive your payment.
What about co-authors or covers?

The royalty per performance is then distributed among all the authors and composers involved, as specified in the declaration. Do you play cover songs? If so, we’ll make sure the original rights holders receive their royalties - even if they’re members of a foreign sister organisation.

Important: Always report correctly who wrote which songs. This prevents misunderstandings and ensures you receive exactly what you’re entitled to.
Why is the artistic budget so important? The artistic budget is the amount an organiser sets aside for live acts. It reflects the musical value of an event. That is why it serves as a fair basis for calculating copyright royalties.

Want to know more?

Do you have questions about your royalties for concerts or festivals? Or do you want to make sure that the use of your music was properly reported? Please use the contact form, and we’ll be happy to look into it with you.
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