ARTISJUS

ARTISJUS (Artisjus Magyar Szerzői Jogvédő Iroda Egyesület, or Society ARTISJUS Hungarian Bureau for the Protection of Authors' Rights) is Hungary's collective management organization for composers, lyricists, literary authors, and music publishers. Founded on October 26, 1996 and headquartered in Budapest, it licenses the public performance, broadcasting, mechanical reproduction, and online use of musical and literary works, collecting and distributing royalties to its members and affiliates.

How ARTISJUS Works

ARTISJUS operates under Hungary's Copyright Act (Act LXXVI of 1999) and the Collective Management Act (Act XCIII of 2016). The organization began its collective management activities on January 1, 1998 as the legal successor to the dissolved Copyright Protection Office. It is registered with and supervised by the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office (Szellemi Tulajdon Nemzeti Hivatala).

The organization collects royalties across six categories: public performance, broadcasting and cable television, blank carrier levies, mechanical and canned music, online activities, and reprography. In 2023, ARTISJUS collected a total of 24.15 billion HUF (approximately $67 million USD), a 1.4% increase over 2022. By 2025, royalty distributions reached 15.2 billion HUF paid to songwriters and music publishers.

ARTISJUS has approximately 2,075 full association members (literary authors, classical music composers, light music composers, and music publishers) plus over 27,655 additional rightsholders who have mandated the organization to manage their rights. Members elect delegates and Supervisory Board members every four years through an electronic voting system.

For online licensing, ARTISJUS has mandated Sacem (France's collective management organization and the largest in Europe) to represent the Hungarian music repertoire in negotiations with major streaming service providers. This partnership, established in 2022, allows Hungarian works to be licensed more efficiently on digital platforms across Europe.

ARTISJUS is a member of CISAC and GESAC (European Grouping of Societies of Authors and Composers), through which it participates in EU legislative advocacy and international copyright standards development.

Real-World Example

A Hungarian composer writes 40 songs that receive regular airplay on Hungarian national radio and television. A Budapest concert venue performs 10 of those songs live in a given quarter, and streaming platforms report 150,000 streams of 15 songs. ARTISJUS collects royalties from all three sources.

The composer's royalties are calculated based on the type of use. In 2023, public performance royalties accounted for 6.85 billion HUF, broadcasting and cable television brought in 6.84 billion HUF, and online activities generated 1.36 billion HUF. The composer receives a proportional share based on how frequently their works appear in the usage logs of each category.

If those same songs are streamed in France, Sacem licenses the Hungarian repertoire to the streaming platform and remits the collected royalties to ARTISJUS for distribution to the composer. This arrangement, active since 2022, means Hungarian composers no longer need to rely solely on bilateral society agreements for online royalty collection across Europe.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

If you are a Hungarian songwriter, composer, lyricist, or publisher, ARTISJUS membership is the only practical way to collect performance, broadcasting, and mechanical royalties for your works within Hungary. Without it, you would need to individually license every radio station, venue, and platform that uses your music.

Joining ARTISJUS requires that you have works being publicly used and that you meet the membership criteria set by the General Assembly. Once admitted, you can register your works through the Authors' Information System (AIS), ARTISJUS's online portal. Ensure your compositions include correct metadata, split information, and ISRC codes so usage data can be matched accurately.

For non-Hungarian artists, ARTISJUS matters if your music is performed or broadcast in Hungary. Your home PRO should collect from ARTISJUS through reciprocal agreements. The Sacem partnership for online licensing means that if your music is streamed on platforms licensed through Sacem's multi-territorial agreement, Hungarian royalties for online use flow through that channel.

ARTISJUS also distributes grants through the National Cultural Fund and its own foundations, providing social and professional support to rightsholders. The organization holds elections every four years, giving members direct influence over governance and distribution policies.

Related Resources

• Performing Rights Organizations (PRO) - What a PRO is and how it functions
• Performance Royalties - How performance royalties are generated and collected
• Mechanical Royalties - How mechanical royalties work alongside performance royalties
• Collective Management Organization (CMO) - How CMOs operate globally
• Blanket License - The licensing model used by ARTISJUS
• ARTISJUS Official Website - Visit ARTISJUS for membership and licensing information
• Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to estimate your digital earnings