Escritório Central de Arrecadação e Distribuição

ECAD (Escritório Central de Arrecadação e Distribuição) is Brazil's central office for collecting and distributing public performance royalties for music. Headquartered in Rio de Janeiro and administered by seven Brazilian music associations, it collected R$2.1 billion and distributed R$1.7 billion to over 345,000 artists and composers in 2025. It is best suited for Brazilian songwriters, composers, performers, musicians, and publishers who need a centralised system to collect royalties from radio, television, streaming, live performances, and commercial establishments across Brazil.

How ECAD Works

ECAD operates differently from most PROs. It does not represent members directly. Instead, it is administered by seven music associations that handle membership, work registration, and member payments. ECAD handles collection, identification of music usage, and distribution to those associations, which then pay their affiliated members.

The seven associations are Abramus, Amar, Assim, Sbacem, Sicam, Socinpro, and UBC. They represent different classes of rights holders: composers, performers, musicians, publishers, and phonographic producers. Artists must join one of these associations to receive royalties through the ECAD system.

ECAD collects royalties from radio stations, television broadcasters, streaming platforms, concert venues, bars, restaurants, retail stores, cinemas, gyms, hotels, nightclubs, and event spaces. It operates 21 owned offices and 9 accredited agencies across Brazil to manage collections nationwide.

From the amounts collected, 85% goes to rights holders (composers, performers, musicians, and other title holders), 6% goes to the associations to cover operational expenses, and 9% goes to ECAD for its administrative costs. This split is defined by the associations in their General Assembly.

Distribution follows international criteria. Of the total distributed, 66.67% goes to author's rights (composers and publishers) and 33.33% goes to related rights (performers and producers). Streaming distributions are made in February, May, August, and November, based on programming data submitted by each platform.

In 2025, the digital segment became the largest source of revenue, accounting for 33.6% of total collections with 47.2% growth driven by streaming platform negotiations. Live music segments (Festas Juninas, Carnaval, and Musica ao Vivo) also saw significant growth in distributions. The average distribution per rights holder was R$4,600, up 8.8% from the previous year. 78% of distributed royalties went to Brazilian artists and composers.

ECAD's database is one of the largest in Latin America, containing 24 million musical works, 24 million phonograms, and 396,000 audiovisual works. The organisation is led by Superintendent Isabel Amorim.

Real-World Example

A Brazilian funk songwriter joins UBC (one of ECAD's seven associations) and registers 30 songs. A Sao Paulo radio station plays 10 of those songs regularly, Spotify reports 1 million streams, and three venues in Rio de Janeiro hold blanket licenses covering live performances.

ECAD collects royalties from all three sources. It identifies the music played through automated matching against its database of 24 million works. The collected amounts are distributed to UBC, which then pays the songwriter based on their registered split shares.

If the same songs are played on radio in Portugal, ECAD's reciprocal agreements with Portuguese societies mean those royalties are collected and remitted back through the system. The songwriter receives payments through UBC on the association's distribution schedule.

Based on the 2025 figures (R$1.7 billion distributed across 345,000 rights holders), the average annual distribution was approximately R$4,600 (roughly $800 USD). However, top-earning artists with heavy radio rotation and streaming numbers receive significantly more.

Drawbacks / Things to Consider

ECAD is not a direct membership organisation. You cannot join ECAD itself. You must join one of its seven member associations (Abramus, Amar, Assim, Sbacem, Sicam, Socinpro, or UBC), each with its own membership requirements, fees, and distribution schedules. This adds a layer of complexity compared to PROs like ASCAP or BMI where you join the PRO directly.

Royalty distributions are split between ECAD and the associations, with 15% of collections going to administrative costs (9% to ECAD, 6% to associations). This overhead is higher than some international PROs.

ECAD has faced public scrutiny over transparency and efficiency. The organisation has invested in technology, cybersecurity, and compliance improvements in recent years, but historical concerns about delayed payments and retained credits persist. Credits for unidentified works are held for up to 5 years before being redistributed within the same segment.

Brazil's market has significant issues with non-payment of royalties by businesses, particularly municipal governments and public sector entities. ECAD regularly pursues enforcement actions against defaulting establishments.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

If you are a Brazilian songwriter, composer, performer, or publisher, the ECAD system is the only practical way to collect public performance royalties for your works in Brazil. You must join one of the seven member associations to participate.

Register every composition and recording with your chosen association as soon as it is commercially released. Include correct split shares, ISRC codes, and publisher information so your works can be matched to ECAD's usage data. The associations handle work registration, while ECAD handles collection and identification.

If your music is played internationally, ECAD's reciprocal agreements with foreign societies mean those royalties can be collected on your behalf. For non-Brazilian artists, your home PRO collects from ECAD through reciprocal agreements when your music is played in Brazil.

Keep your repertoire updated with your association at all times. If registration data is incomplete or incorrect, your royalties may be held as retained credits for up to 5 years. After that period, unclaimed amounts are redistributed within the same segment.

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 - Understanding the difference between performance and mechanical royalties
• Collective Management Organization (CMO) - How CMOs operate globally
• PRO Comparison Guide - Detailed comparison of PROs worldwide
• ECAD Official Website - Visit ECAD for licensing and distribution information
• Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to estimate your digital earnings