Music knows no borders — it resonates with people across the world. That’s why it's important to understand how your music generates royalties, even when it is played outside your home country.
How your royalties are managed worldwide
As a Sabam member, your rights are managed internationally through our partner authors’ societies abroad.
- Representation: Sabam has agreements with nearly all foreign authors’ societies. When your music is used in their territory, they collect the royalties for you.
- Transfer: The royalties collected abroad are sent to Sabam.
- Verification and payment: Sabam checks all incoming data to identify and correct possible errors — so you receive the correct amount. We then pay the royalties to you.
A few important notes
- Independent rules: Each foreign society operates under its own legislation and internal policies. This means not all types of usage or music are always covered.
- Rate differences: Royalty rates abroad may vary from Belgian rates, depending on the country and its economic context.
Your international royalties by type of usage
Online
Thanks to our international collaboration with ICE, we negotiate better royalties for you and track your music on more than 205 platforms across 245 territories. Every stream counts — wherever it happens.
VOD
We also collect royalties for Video-On-Demand use (Netflix, HBO, Disney+, etc.), whether the service is free or paid. Sabam ensures that you receive the royalties you are entitled to — in Belgium and abroad.
Concerts & festivals
Royalties for concerts and festivals abroad are first collected by our sister society in that country and then paid to you through the distribution of International Performance Rights, which takes place four times a year.