Buma/Stemra works for composers, lyricists and music publishers. But if their creations are not used, we can naturally not arrange remuneration for it. This is why the customers for the music – the music users – are every bit as important.
Music authors and publishers
Music authors can transfer the commercial exploitation of their music copyright to Buma/Stemra. This means one thing less to worry about, because we then check when and where their music is used. Based on those checks, we arrange for the remunerations that the music authors are entitled to. We do not only do this when their works are used in the Netherlands, but also when they have successes beyond our borders.
Music users
Anyone may come across Buma/Stemra. It could be the hairdresser who wants a bit of music to create a pleasant atmosphere in his salon, or the landlord who wants to have a good band play live in his pub. These are all examples of occasions when the composers or lyricists should receive remuneration for the use of their works. And instead of having to ask permission from the various music authors for each song, permission can be arranged with Buma/Stemra on behalf of all these different music authors in one go. Nice and simple.
Anyone who wants to make music available to the public pays remunerations for this via Buma. This could be music in shops and cafes, or live performances. Anyone who wants to replicate music (on image or sound carriers) needs permission in advance from Stemra.