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Radio & TV

Every time your music is broadcast, it generates royalties - whether on Studio Brussel or during a news report on Eén. Sabam collects those royalties and ensures that you receive appropriate compensation.

Where do we collect royalties from?

We collect copyright fees from:

  • public and commercial broadcasters such as VRT and DPG Media

  • cable operators such as Telenet and Proximus

  • public places with radio or TV, such as stores and cafés

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How does Sabam know when your music is being broadcast?

We combine playlists with fingerprinting technology that automatically recognizes music. This allows us to reliably detect when your music appears on:

  • more than 35 local radio stations

  • all national radio and TV broadcasts since 2019

How do we calculate your compensation?

Broadcasters pay a fee for the use of music, often based on their revenue (such as advertising or public funds). That fee forms the basis for the distribution. We then take into account how, when, and where your music is used. These are the most important factors:

  • Identification: we recognize your music through playlists and fingerprinting

  • Duration: the longer your work plays, the higher the royalty

  • Genre: each genre has a specific valuation

  • Type of use: is it a jingle, background music, or a repeat? Each type of use is remunerated differently.

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From broadcast to payment: here's how it works

When your music is broadcast on the radio or TV, your royalties go through several steps before they reach you:

  • Broadcasters provide us with detailed playlists containing all the music that was broadcast

  • Based on that, we identify which works were used and how often

  • Once the broadcasters’ revenue figures are known, we can calculate and distribute the royalties.

Because this data isn’t fully available until after the end of the fiscal year, payments are made with a slight delay.

When will you be paid?

We pay out your royalties in two steps:

  1. June: advance payment (if it exceeds €25)

  2. October: final payment

Example:
Was your music broadcast on June 1, 2026?
Then you’ll receive payment no later than October 2027.

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Broadcasting abroad?

Is your music broadcast on foreign radio or TV stations? If so, your royalties are usually automatically collected and distributed through our sister companies.

  • National stations
    There’s usually no problem here: your music is identified through playlists and fingerprinting.

  • Regional stations
    Here, too, identification usually works correctly, though it may depend on the station and whether they submit playlists.

  • Local stations
    For smaller stations, monitoring is sometimes less comprehensive. Identification often occurs via fingerprinting, but this isn’t always complete. In practice, however, the majority of usage is still captured.

Do you have any doubts or questions? Let us know. We’d be happy to look into it with you.

Give your music the best start: register it correctly

By registering your music completely and correctly, you ensure that every stream, broadcast, or use can be linked to your work.

Register your songs via MyWorx in your MySabam account and be sure to upload your audio file as well. This helps us recognise your music more quickly and ensures that the revenue it generates goes to you.