About Buma / Stemra

Buma/Stemra is the organization of and for all songwriters (text and music) and publishers in the Netherlands. About 33,000 music makers are affiliated with Buma/Stemra.

What we do

When you compose music or write lyrics, you are entitled to compensation if your work is used. Buma/Stemra collects these fees for the copywriters and publishers who are affiliated with us. Buma does this for making music public, such as for airplay and performances, Stemra for recording it on (sound) equipment and, for example, CDs and vinyl.

How we do it

We provide licenses to parties that use music. These include radio and TV stations, concert organisers, catering establishments, shops and much more. By means of a license we give permission for the use of your music and we collect a fee. The rates are determined in consultation with market parties. After deduction of the costs, which we always keep as low as possible, we transfer the compensation to the rightful claimants.

Why we do that

Buma/Stemra was founded for and by composers and lyricists. The goal of our organization is to ensure that fair compensation is paid to the creators of music. We have been doing this for over 100 years. By supporting music events, we want to increase support for Dutch music culture. In this way we contribute to a world full of music.