Annual General Meeting

View updates from our 2023 AGM

Copyright Amendment Bill

CAB was introduced to amend the Copyright Act of 1978

Unclaimed Royalty Payments

Check for unclaimed royalties

Music Creation Support Fund

A supporting micro-grant for SAMRO members
SAMRO 2023 FINANCIAL YEAR STATISTICS

Our Performance in Numbers

We let the statistics do the talking

R593.7m

Total company
licence revenue

This refers to the total revenue earned by SAMRO from licensing the works of its members for use in various mediums such as broadcasting, public performances, and online streaming.

R552.8m

Total available
for distribution

This refers to the portion of the license revenue that is available for distribution to SAMRO members after deducting operating expenses and other costs incurred by the organisation.

24 413

Number of Associate and Full Members

This refers to the total number of SAMRO’s Associate and Full members for the financial year.

21

Number of
distributions

This refers to the number of times SAMRO has made royalty distributions to its members throughout the year.

Creators and Users

How Creators and Users are Connected

Music creators (song writers, composers and publishers) are entitled to royalties every time their music is used in licensed establishments such as live music venues, radio and television, pubs, shopping malls, cinemas and more.

The role of SAMRO is to license these establishments and ensure that members are fairly compensated for the usage of their music and are acting within the confines of the law.

Music equipment in a  music studio
A young female music composer plays guitar
A male musician plays drums on stage at a music concert
A radio station playing licensed music
A football stadium that plays licenced music
A sign outside of a bar that plays licenced music
SAMRO

What We Do

SAMRO collects licence fees from establishments that use music like clubs, broadcasters, retailers, digital service providers (DSPs) and many others.
We then distribute these license fees to members in the form of royalties.

As a Music Creator, you need to apply to become a member.
As a Music User, you need to apply for a licence.

Who is a Creator?

Composers

Authors

Publishers

Who is a User?

Television and Radio

Restaurants and Bars

Malls and Cinemas

CREATOR

Why You Should Register as a Music Creator

Music creators are people who make the amazing, moving, thoughtful, powerful musical works that SAMRO vigilantly administers.

We protect your intellectual property.

Our members have exclusive access to various benefits.

We ensure that the value of your music is recognised.

We actively promote the value of copyright.

A young female composer mastering a song
A young male composer sings into a microphone
A male musician plays piano
A young female composer mastering a song
A young male composer sings into a microphone
A male musician plays piano
a young female musician plays guitar
A music composer making music in a studio
A female musician plays piano
a young female musician plays guitar
A music composer making music in a studio
A female musician plays piano
A gym that plays licensed music
A movie theatre that plays licenced music
A woman dances at a venue that plays licensed music
A busy coffee shop that plays licensed music
A live music venue that plays licensed music
A restaurant that plays licensed music
USER

Who Needs a Licence

Any venue or business that plays background, recorded, broadcast or live music in public must get a music usage licence from SAMRO.
This includes businesses and people such as the following:

Radio

Pubs

Live Music

Malls

Cinemas

Churches

Taxis

Trains

Nighclubs

Restaurants

DJ's

Spaza Shops

Video On Demand (VOD)

Digital Streaming Platforms (DSP)

TV

Mobile

We respect the privacy of everyone who visits this website, and are transparent about the way we use Personal Information.
By using this web site, you acknowledge that you have reviewed the terms of our Privacy Policy and PAIA Manual

CAREERS

SAMRO Careers

SAMRO may have a career opportunity that is in tune with your ambitions and your skills.

Click below to view more openings.

Distributions
Music Usage Capturer (12 month fixed-term contract)
Software Development
Customer Success
Sales
Marketing
The above vacancy exists within the Music Usage department in the Distributions division and reports to the Supervisor: Music Usage. The purpose of the position is to capture, match and link usage lines from usage journals to the SAMRO database.
12 Months
September 20, 2024
Distributions
Post & Ns Clearance Administrator (12 month fixed-term contract)
Software Development
Customer Success
Sales
Marketing
The above vacancy exists within the Post Department and reports to the Supervisor: Post Distributions. The purpose of the job is to ensure all undocumented musical works and audio visuals are documented for Post Royalty Distributions as well as the clearance of NS. In addition, ensuring SAMRO’s reputation remains intact through good customer relations with both our internal and external stakeholders.
12 Months
September 20, 2024

Anti-Piracy

Music piracy stunts careers, stifles talent and eats away at the ability of composers and recording artists to continue making the great music that is the soundtrack to our lives.

Music piracy also takes bread off the tables of the thousands of people who work in music-related fields - from authors and composers of musical works, recording artists, to record company employees, studio producers, sound engineers and music retailers.

An illustrated graphic of a red cellphone downloading music illegally

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