FAQ

Soundreef is the most progressive and efficient music rights management company in Europe. In one simple package, your alternative to music copyright collection societies such as GEMA, BUMA/STEMRA, STIM and TONO.
We specialize in background music for retail chains (electronics, clothing, furniture, etc.), supermarkets, malls, restaurants, and more. We gather and distribute royalties to respective authors, editors and labels for the music played on our in-store radio channels.

No, we are not intermediaries for other collection societies; instead, we are their competitors. In one simple package, Soundreef intermediates music copyrights – both authors’ rights and neighboring/related rights – for the broadcasting of music in public spaces by commercial establishments.

You can view the list of music copyright collection societies by country here:
List of copyright collection societies
We are an alternative to local music copyright collection societies in countries belonging to the European Union for the broadcasting of background music.

A copyright collecting society (also known as a copyright collective or licensing agency) engages in collective rights management. Collecting societies collect royalty payments from users of copyrighted works and distribute royalties to copyright owners.
PROs provide more specific intermediary functions, notably royalty collection between right-holders and commercial establishments that wish to use copyrighted works publicly.
Although copyright collecting societies are a more general term than PROs (because they are not limited to performances), in some countries PROs are referred to as copyright collecting societies.

Absolutely.
Soundreef operates in full compliance with European regulations on competition.
This great new opportunity offered by Soundreef was made possible through a recent decision made by the European Commission. In fact, in July 2008, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition reminded music rights management companies operating in Europe that there cannot be any territorial restrictions on the target market and, therefore, Soundreef and every other collecting society can operate throughout Europe (Antitrust: IP/08/1165 Brussels, 16 July 2008).
The CISAC decision also reinforces the fundamental principle that no one single company can have a monopoly over collective rights management in Europe, because other collecting societies must at least have the option of pursuing business throughout the Single European Market.
Soundreef operates throughout Europe and allows you to avoid having to purchase licenses through your traditional local copyright collecting society for the music played in your business establishment. All of our services are provided in keeping with the law and we have proven our transparency in complying with the decisions made by the European Commission.

We work in Europe, and particularly in Sweden, Italy, Spain, Germany, United Kingdom and France – where thousands of establishments use music supplied by Soundreef in supermarkets, clothing and electronics stores, shopping centers, sports centers, fairs and restaurants. More than 4 million people a month listen to our radio channels.

We feature over 150,000 songs belonging to labels, authors and publishers – both independent and famous – that cover a wide range of genres such as Rock, Pop, Lounge, House, Jazz and Classical. We carefully curate our international music catalog every day, adding new pieces based on industry expertise, trends, client demands, and academic research.
We find the right music purposefully chosen for background broadcasting.

Soundreef is a company with proven international success, yet which also boasts legal expertise at a local level. We use this experience to serve you and guide you right from contract set-up:

• all of your business locations will receive a Soundreef certificate attesting to your exemption from payment to your local copyright collection society, in addition to a sticker that can be displayed in store windows
• every location supervisor will have a phone number at their disposal to call for information/assistance or to report any potential inquiries received from your local copyright collection society
• our lawyers will provide assistance to legal questions within 4 working days
• Soundreef commits to protecting you and freeing you from liability in any claims by third parties.

There are different ways that Soundreef can supply music to commercial establishments

• Working directly with your in-store radio
• via streaming
• an MP3 reader with the tracks
• a music box remotely managed by Soundreef or by your in-store radio

Soundreef passes a large targeted music playlist to the in-store radio company which then picks which tracks to include in the final compilation. Once they add the promotional voice overs, communications, and other audio materials, they give you the complete and finished program. All while spending less than with traditional collecting societies.

Soundreef intermediates music copyrights – both authors’ rights and neighboring/related rights – for the broadcasting of music in public spaces by commercial establishments in the name of artists, authors, publishers and labels.
Soundreef is specialized in licenses for background music use by commercial establishments (such as retail stores, supermarkets, malls, restaurants), which in turn avoid paying their local copyright collection society.
At the same time, our royalty distribution system allows the right-holder to track where their music is playing, how much they are earning, and when they will be paid- all in real time.

No, we are not intermediaries for other collection societies; instead, we are their competitors. In one simple package, Soundreef intermediates music copyrights – both authors’ rights and neighboring/related rights – for the broadcasting of music in public spaces by commercial establishments.

You can view the list of music copyright collection societies by country here:
List of copyright collection societies
We are an alternative to local music copyright collection societies in countries belonging to the European Union for the broadcasting of background music.

A copyright collecting society (also known as a copyright collective or licensing agency) engages in collective rights management. Collecting societies collect royalty payments from users of copyrighted works and distribute royalties to copyright owners.
PROs provide more specific intermediary functions, notably royalty collection between right-holders and commercial establishments that wish to use copyrighted works publicly.
Although copyright collecting societies are a more general term than PROs (because they are not limited to performances), in some countries PROs are referred to as copyright collecting societies.

Absolutely.
Soundreef operates in full compliance with European regulations on competition.
This great new opportunity offered by Soundreef was made possible through a recent decision made by the European Commission. In fact, in July 2008, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition reminded music rights management companies operating in Europe that there cannot be any territorial restrictions on the target market and, therefore, Soundreef and every other collecting society can operate throughout Europe (Antitrust: IP/08/1165 Brussels, 16 July 2008).
The CISAC decision also reinforces the fundamental principle that no one single company can have a monopoly over collective rights management in Europe, because other collecting societies must at least have the option of pursuing business throughout the Single European Market.
Soundreef operates throughout Europe and allows you to avoid having to purchase licenses through your traditional local copyright collecting society for the music played in your business establishment. All of our services are provided in keeping with the law and we have proven our transparency in complying with the decisions made by the European Commission.

We feature over 150,000 songs belonging to labels, authors and publishers – both independent and famous – that cover a wide range of genres such as Rock, Pop, Lounge, House, Jazz and Classical. We carefully curate our international music catalog every day, adding new pieces based on industry expertise, trends, client demands, and academic research.

Registration to Soundreef is free for all right-holders.
Content providers, aggregators and record labels both big and small can contact us here.
But we’re growing, and we will soon be opening our registration to single artists, musicians, composers and editors as well. We’re excited about revolutionizing the industry and offering you a transparent and modern way to handle your royalties.
To get notified when we open to independent artists, sign up for our newsletter by contacting us, we’ll add you to our newsletter so you can be the first one to find out when you can submit independently.
In the meantime, if you are signed to a label, talk to them about us; perhaps we can feature your music through them.

Non-exclusive agreement that can be terminated anytime with a 60-day written notice. You will continue to receive your other royalties (ex. radio, television, internet) as you currently do through your local copyright collection society.

The major difference between Soundreef and other collection societies is that with us, you always know:

where your music is playing
how much you are earning
when you get paid

Transparency, technology and service, in real-time, through our intuitive tools such as:

Music Rights Dashboard
Our Music Rights Dashboard enables you to visualize where you music is played, how much you have earned and when you will be paid.
With our Music Rights Dashboard, you have at your disposal an analytical view of information regarding the use of your music. What’s more, you can export all your information to an Excel file.

The Radio Channel Locator
Our Radio Channel Locator, a tool found in the Music Rights Dashboard, is a very important marketing application that enables you to visualize, on a Google map, where your music is played.
You can enlarge the image in order to see the mass market retailers and the geographic areas in which they are located. It also provides the total number of plays per retail store, per song, and the relative earnings – in real time.

Of course. We put your music in our radio channels and you’ll always know where it is played. Earn royalties while you broadcast your music in thousands of retail outlets in Europe, promoting your music with a targeted audience that has already been studied to like your genre and style.

Yes, it is possible. You can assign the collection of royalties for background music use to Soundreef and have your other rights assigned to your local collection society (ex. radio, television, internet). If your local copyright collection society tells you that this is not possible, please contact us and we will help you. You can also choose to manage your royalties using different collection societies for different territories, allowing you to choose Soundreef as your representative only for certain territories.

At the moment Soundreef only intermediates royalties pertaining to the broadcasting of registered music in a public space for commercial purposes. However, we are planning to include other types of royalties soon, for example online streaming and public performance.

Soundreef is the most progressive and efficient music rights management company in Europe. In one simple package, your alternative to music copyright collection societies such as GEMA, BUMA/STEMRA, STIM and TONO.
We specialize in background music for retail chains (electronics, clothing, furniture, etc.), supermarkets, malls, restaurants, and more. We gather and distribute royalties to respective authors, editors and labels for the music played on our in-store radio channels.

No, we are not intermediaries for other collection societies; instead, we are their competitors. In one simple package, Soundreef intermediates music copyrights – both authors’ rights and neighboring/related rights – for the broadcasting of music in public spaces by commercial establishments.

Absolutely.
Soundreef operates in full compliance with European regulations on competition.
This great new opportunity offered by Soundreef was made possible through a recent decision made by the European Commission. In fact, in July 2008, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition reminded music rights management companies operating in Europe that there cannot be any territorial restrictions on the target market and, therefore, Soundreef and every other collecting society can operate throughout Europe (Antitrust: IP/08/1165 Brussels, 16 July 2008).
The CISAC decision also reinforces the fundamental principle that no one single company can have a monopoly over collective rights management in Europe, because other collecting societies must at least have the option of pursuing business throughout the Single European Market.
Soundreef operates throughout Europe and allows you to avoid having to purchase licenses through your traditional local copyright collecting society for the music played in your business establishment. All of our services are provided in keeping with the law and we have proven our transparency in complying with the decisions made by the European Commission.

We work in Europe, and particularly in Sweden, Italy, Spain, Germany, United Kingdom and France – where thousands of establishments use music supplied by Soundreef in supermarkets, clothing and electronics stores, shopping centers, sports centers, fairs and restaurants. More than 4 million people a month listen to our radio channels.

We feature over 150,000 songs belonging to labels, authors and publishers – both independent and famous – that cover a wide range of genres such as Rock, Pop, Lounge, House, Jazz and Classical. We carefully curate our international music catalog every day, adding new pieces based on industry expertise, trends, client demands, and academic research.
We find the right music purposefully chosen for background broadcasting.

Soundreef supplies the license necessary to broadcast background music through whatever technology you want to use: via internet, satellite, physical devices, etc. we cover both the authors’ rights and the neighboring/related rights.

Soundreef supplies its playlists to in-store radios depending on their needs. Usually, we send the files via FTP, but we do not exclude other modes of transfer should the in-store radio have particular requests.