Collection Societies by Country: A Working Reference for Labels
By Qlero Team
A country-by-country starting point for checking who represents musical works, recordings and performers—and which rights and territories your agreements cover.
Which collection society should you check when your catalog earns abroad? Start with the right and the mandate, not just the country. A musical work, its sound recording and the performances on that recording can involve different collection arrangements. A familiar society name does not establish that it represents every right in your catalog.
This reference covers 14 countries. It is a starting point for questions to your society or administrator—not a complete directory, a registration instruction or proof that money is due. Sources were reviewed on 21 October 2026.
Why collection does not follow a single country map
Territories matter, but collection routes are not always confined to national borders. BumaStemra describes both reciprocal arrangements and multi-territory online licensing through international cooperation. SOCAN's reproduction-rights service depends on the rights, works and territories the rightsholder authorises it to administer. Check that scope before assuming a home membership covers every foreign use. BumaStemra's collection explanation, SOCAN's reproduction-rights FAQ.
Collection societies by country
The organisations below are selected reference points, not an exhaustive market list. Most rows focus on musical works; Brazil's ECAD system also covers related-right holders for relevant public-performance uses. Membership, represented repertoire and specific mandates still need checking.
| Country | Organisations to check | Scope and important qualification |
|---|---|---|
| United States | ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, GMR; The MLC | The named PROs are examples of musical-work performance organisations, not an exhaustive list. The MLC administers the U.S. blanket mechanical licence for eligible interactive streams and downloads; it does not collect every U.S. mechanical royalty. MLC scope, PRO distinction. |
| United Kingdom | PRS; MCPS | PRS covers musical-work performance rights; MCPS covers mechanical rights. They are separate organisations with service arrangements, not one combined society. UK government guide, MCPS overview. |
| Germany | GEMA | Musical performing and mechanical reproduction rights for represented repertoire. This is not a claim that GEMA is the only possible licensing route. GEMA's role. |
| France | SACEM | Musical-work performance and reproduction royalties for represented repertoire. Check the relevant right and use rather than assuming one permission covers everything. SACEM distribution guide. |
| Japan | JASRAC | Performance and reproduction licensing within the rights entrusted to it. Coverage must be checked for the work and intended use. JASRAC copyright guide. |
| Canada | SOCAN | Performing rights and, under a separate mandate, reproduction rights. Performing-right membership alone does not authorise reproduction administration. SOCAN FAQ. |
| Australia | APRA; AMCOS | APRA handles musical-work performance and communication; AMCOS handles reproduction. They work under the APRA AMCOS name, but memberships and publisher representation must be checked separately. APRA AMCOS overview, AMCOS membership explanation. |
| Spain | SGAE | Public-communication and reproduction rights for represented musical works, alongside other creative repertoires. Check the repertoire and permission for the use. SGAE's role. |
| Italy | SIAE | Its Music section manages uses including performance and reproduction for represented works. That section's stated scope excludes print reproduction and synchronisation; other repertoires have other sections. SIAE repertoire scope. |
| Netherlands | Buma; Stemra | Buma covers performance and Stemra reproduction rights in musical works; online licences can combine both. Check the mandate's rights and territories. BumaStemra explanation. |
| Sweden | STIM; NCB | STIM administers the musical-work rights included in the mandate. NCB handles mechanical licensing for uses such as record releases, with royalties distributed through STIM. This is not a claim that NCB handles every online use. STIM rights categories, NCB explanation. |
| Brazil | ECAD and its member associations | Public-performance collection includes authors/publishers and related-right holders such as performers, musicians and phonogram producers, through the associations. Not every use pays every category. ECAD rightsholder guide. |
| South Korea | KOMCA | CISAC's public profile lists performing/transmission and reproduction rights for musical repertoire. Confirm the specific mandate; this is not a complete Korean licensing directory. CISAC member profile. |
| Mexico | SACM | CISAC identifies SACM as a musical-repertoire collective management organisation. Confirm the precise rights and territories directly. The MLC also names SACM as a possible representative for U.S. digital mechanical royalties where authorised; that is not proof of every member's coverage. CISAC member profile, MLC representation guidance. |
Composition rights and neighbouring rights: check both
A composition and a recording are not interchangeable. In the UK, PRS represents songwriters, composers and publishers, while PPL represents recording rightsholders and performers. Their joint public-playing licensing service, PPL PRS, does not make those underlying rights the same. UK government licensing guide.
SoundExchange's U.S. statutory route concerns eligible non-interactive digital sound-recording uses under sections 112 and 114, not composition royalties or on-demand streaming under that licence. It also offers international collection through partner organisations for members who authorise it for selected territories. Calling its entire service “U.S.-only” would therefore be too narrow. SoundExchange Licensing 101, international collection.
Nor does every country put these rights into wholly separate organisations. ECAD's Brazilian system includes both authors' rights and related rights for relevant uses. Check the category and representation route, not just the organisation's name. ECAD's rightsholder categories.
Why this is a working reference
Service arrangements can change without the rights becoming identical. On 24 September 2026, MCPS announced an enhanced operating model planned for early 2027, while saying there would be no immediate change to services during 2026. That announcement is a future transition, not evidence that the new model is already operating. Recheck the relevant organisation before acting on this reference. MCPS's dated announcement.
What reciprocal agreements do—and what they do not prove
A society may collect through counterparts abroad, but the route must match your authorised rights and territories. SOCAN, for example, expressly separates performing membership from permission to administer reproduction rights. Ask your existing representative what is covered before adding another mandate. SOCAN's mandate explanation.
Foreign representation can also matter for U.S. mechanical royalties. The MLC explains that a foreign CMO may already represent the relevant shares. Confirm who is responsible before submitting overlapping claims; do not assume that every songwriter should register the same shares independently. The MLC's foreign-member guidance.
Incomplete work or share documentation can obstruct distribution. CISAC's UDS and UP formats address such cases, but their existence does not establish how often international income goes unmatched—or prove it is more vulnerable than domestic income. There is no single suspense account or recovery deadline established by this reference. CISAC formats.
Four practical checks for an international catalog
These are recommended working practices, not a claim that one process guarantees collection or suits every agreement.
- Map the rights and territories you actually control. Record the work or recording, represented share, administrator, territory, rights category and mandate dates. Keep composition and recording responsibilities distinct.
- Confirm the current route. Ask the existing society or administrator what it represents and whether a further appointment is needed. Resolve ambiguous or overlapping authority with a qualified adviser before changing mandates.
- Keep registration data consistent and retain responses. Compare work, party and share details across submissions; keep acknowledgements and correction histories. A submitted registration is not proof of acceptance, successful matching or payment.
- Review specific exceptions. Investigate missing documentation, disputed shares or unexplained statement differences with the responsible organisation. Retain the relevant usage period and correspondence rather than treating any missing amount as automatically recoverable.
Choose tools according to the records, mandates and exceptions you need to maintain. Assess whether your current records let you track each mandate and unresolved exception before changing tools.
Where royalty accounting fits
Keep the society's registration and claim responses alongside your accounting records. Comparing reports is a useful control, but an accounting entry is not confirmation that a society accepted a claim or transferred money.
Qlero's Artist Portal documentation describes access to statements after the record company publishes them; publishing-only statements use a Works view in place of Tracks and Releases. That documented presentation is not evidence of automatic society registration, claim recovery or a bank transfer. No such capability is asserted here. Qlero statement documentation.
For definitions of mechanical royalties, performance royalties and CWR, see the Qlero royalty accounting glossary. To discuss your statement workflow and confirm which parts Qlero supports, book a conversation with Qlero.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to register directly with a foreign society if I have a home-market PRO?
Not automatically. First confirm the rights and territories already represented, including any publisher or administrator. Ask whether another appointment is needed and permitted; a second registration is not inherently safer. SOCAN mandate guidance.
What can interrupt the routing of international royalties?
Missing work information or unidentified shares can prevent allocation. CISAC's UDS and UP formats address these documentation gaps. This does not quantify international loss rates or prove that every missing statement amount is a metadata problem. CISAC formats.
Are collection societies the same as labels or distributors?
No. The role and agreement matter. SOCAN distinguishes composition-right collection from a distributor acting only for the sound recording; a distributor that also acts as publisher needs a separate scope check. Owning a recording does not establish authority over the composition. SOCAN's distributor and publisher explanation.
How often do society names or structures change?
There is no universal frequency. Use dated announcements and current service information. MCPS's September 2026 announcement, for example, describes a planned early-2027 transition rather than an immediate change. MCPS announcement.
Does one organisation coordinate all of these societies?
CISAC is an international network of authors' societies and provides shared technical infrastructure. Its formats distinguish CWR work-registration messages from CRD royalty-distribution information. Neither a federation listing nor a CWR file establishes that a particular claim has been accepted or paid. About CISAC, CISAC formats.
Do neighbouring-rights societies use the same registration process?
Do not assume so. PPL distinguishes recording-rightsholder and performer membership and requires authority for international collection. SoundExchange also requires an international mandate for that service. Check the role and territories rather than copying a musical-work registration into another system. PPL membership rights, SoundExchange international mandate.
Use the list to ask better questions
Start with the countries where your catalog is used, then establish the right, represented repertoire and mandate behind each collection route. Keep source confirmations, registration responses and statements connected, without treating any one of them as a guarantee of complete collection. For uncertain contractual rights or overlapping appointments, obtain qualified advice before acting.