MESAM (Turkey)

MESAM (Musical Work Owners' Society of Turkey, or Turkiye Musiki Eseri Sahipleri Meslek Birligi) is the first and largest collective management society for musical works in Turkey. Founded in 1986 and based in Istanbul, it administers performing and mechanical reproduction rights for composers, songwriters, arrangers, and publishers under Law No. 5846 on Intellectual and Artistic Works. It represents members in over 170 countries through reciprocal agreements and is supervised by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

How MESAM Works

MESAM operates under Law No. 5846, which governs intellectual and artistic works in Turkey. Members assign their performing and mechanical reproduction rights to MESAM, which then licenses music users across several categories: radio and television broadcasting, public performance in venues, restaurants, retail stores, and other businesses, mechanical reproduction for physical media, and digital platforms.

The society collects license fees from these users and distributes royalties to rightsholders based on usage data. MESAM is a CISAC member (joined January 1, 1988, CISAC Code 117) and a BIEM member for mechanical rights. These memberships enable MESAM to represent foreign repertoire in Turkey and to collect royalties for its members when their works are performed abroad through reciprocal representation agreements.

MESAM is subject to supervision and control by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey. The society operates under ISO 9001 Quality Management System standards, which governs its internal processes for rights management, licensing, and distribution.

Membership is open to composers, songwriters, arrangers, and publishers who hold rights under Turkish copyright law. Members register their works with MESAM, which assigns identification numbers and manages the catalog. The society then matches collected royalties to registered works based on usage reports from licensees.

Real-World Example

A Turkish composer writes 30 songs and registers them with MESAM. A national radio station in Istanbul plays 8 of those songs in a given quarter under a MESAM blanket license. Three restaurants in Ankara hold MESAM licenses for background music, and a streaming platform reports usage of 12 songs to MESAM.

MESAM collects license fees from all three sources. The radio station's playlist logs are matched against the composer's registered works. The restaurant fees are allocated based on reported usage or sampling. The streaming platform's usage reports are processed and matched to the composer's catalog.

The composer receives a royalty distribution proportional to the number of logged performances, minus MESAM's administrative costs. If the same songs are played on radio in Germany, MESAM's reciprocal agreement with GEMA means GEMA collects those royalties and remits them to MESAM, which distributes them to the composer in a subsequent cycle.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

If you are a Turkish songwriter, composer, arranger, or publisher, MESAM is the primary society in Turkey that collects performance and mechanical royalties on your behalf. Without MESAM membership, you earn nothing from public performances of your music in Turkey.

Register every composition with MESAM as soon as it is commercially released. Include correct split information, ISRC codes, and ISWC numbers. MESAM's matching system depends on accurate metadata to connect usage data to your registered works. Unregistered works generate zero royalties even if they receive thousands of plays.

If you are an international artist whose music is performed in Turkey, you do not need to join MESAM directly. Your home PRO should have a reciprocal agreement with MESAM through CISAC. Ensure your works are registered with your home society so they can claim royalties from MESAM on your behalf.

Potential Drawbacks

MESAM shares the Turkish PRO market with MSG (Musical Work Owners Group), which was founded in 1999. Some Turkish rightsholders choose one society over the other based on catalog coverage, distribution practices, or genre specialization. Research both organizations before deciding which one to join. You cannot assign the same rights to both societies simultaneously.

The society's distribution timelines and royalty rates are not prominently published on its English-language website. Members may need to contact MESAM directly or consult Turkish-language resources for current distribution schedules and tariff information.

MESAM's digital tools and online member portal are less feature-rich than those of major Western PROs. Work registration and royalty tracking may require more direct communication with society staff.

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 differ from performance royalties
• Collective Management Organization (CMO) - How CMOs operate globally
• MESAM Official Website - Visit MESAM for membership and licensing information
• Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to estimate your digital performance earnings