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.
Territory Covered
MESAM covers the territory of Turkey. It licenses music users across all 81 provinces of Turkey, including radio and television broadcasting, public performance in venues, restaurants, retail stores, hotels, and other businesses, mechanical reproduction for physical media, and digital platforms. Through reciprocal representation agreements with sister societies in over 170 countries, MESAM also administers international repertoire within Turkey and enables Turkish members to collect royalties when their works are performed abroad.
How to Join and Membership Fees
MESAM membership is open to composers, songwriters, arrangers, and publishers who hold rights under Turkish copyright law (Law No. 5846). Applicants must submit documents proving authorship or rights ownership.
Membership fees as of December 2022:
| Category | Entry Fee | Annual Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Composer / Songwriter / Arranger | 1,200 TL | 600 TL |
| Publisher (Editor) | 20,000 TL | 2,040 TL |
Annual membership dues are mandatory under MESAM's bylaws. Members who fail to pay their membership fee for 2 years may be expelled, unless they have generated sufficient income in the society to cover the fee. Applications can be submitted through the MESAM website.
Overhead Rate
MESAM's deduction rates vary by revenue category. The society deducts a "Birlik Payi" (society share) and a "Sosyal Fon" (social fund) from collected royalties before distribution:
| Category | Society Share | Social Fund | Total Deduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| TV / Web TV | 23% | 7% | 30% |
| Satellite TV / Web TV Platforms | 23% | 7% | 30% |
| On-demand audiovisual services | 23% | 7% | 30% |
| Radio / Web Radio | 23% | 7% | 30% |
| Public places, accommodation, transportation | 23% | 7% | 30% |
| Live performances / Mechanical performances | 23% | 7% | 30% |
| Mechanical licensing | 11% | 4% | 15% |
| Listening / downloading / video watching services | 11% | 4% | 15% |
| Foreign royalties | 13% | 4% | 17% |
Royalty Distribution Schedule
MESAM distributes royalties on multiple schedules depending on the revenue type:
- Mechanical licensing royalties: Distributed monthly. Royalties from album reproductions are paid to members every month on a periodic basis.
- Digital licensing royalties: Distributed at least twice per year, in June and November. Distributions require that contract fees have been fully collected and usage lists have been submitted to MESAM.
- Live performance and foreign society royalties: Distributed monthly, alongside mechanical royalties. For example, MESAM announced its October 2025 monthly distribution covering mechanical, live performance, and foreign society royalties.
Under the Regulation on Professional Associations in the Field of Copyright, MESAM must distribute collected royalties within at most 9 months following the end of the financial year in which they were collected.
Reciprocal Agreements
MESAM is a CISAC member (joined January 1, 1988, CISAC Code 117) and a BIEM member for mechanical rights. Through these memberships, MESAM maintains reciprocal representation agreements with sister societies in over 170 countries. This enables MESAM to represent foreign repertoire in Turkey and to collect royalties for its members when their works are performed abroad.
Notable reciprocal agreements include those with GEMA (Germany), SACEM (France), PRS for Music (United Kingdom), ASCAP (United States), BMI (United States), JASRAC (Japan), and SABAM (Belgium). MESAM also publishes joint licensing tariffs with MSG (Turkey's other main CMO) for general and mechanical licensing.
Notable Members
MESAM's membership includes composers, songwriters, arrangers, and publishers across Turkey. Notable members include:
- Ali Riza Binboga - Anatolian rock and turku singer-songwriter, MESAM member since 1987, served on the administrative board from 1999 to 2011
- MESAM's membership list spans thousands of creators across all genres of Turkish music, from traditional Turkish art music to pop, rock, and folk
MESAM publishes a full members list on its website, organized alphabetically by member name and number.
Comparison Table
| Feature | MESAM (Turkey) | MSG (Turkey) | SACEM (France) | SABAM (Belgium) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Territory | Turkey | Turkey | France | Belgium |
| Founded | 1986 | 1999 | 1851 | 1922 |
| CISAC Member | Yes (1988) | Yes (2000) | Yes | Yes |
| Overhead Rate | 30% (performance), 15% (mechanical) | Not publicly disclosed | ~20% | ~25% |
| Join Fee (Songwriter) | 1,200 TL | 900 TL | Contact SACEM | Contact SABAM |
| Distribution Frequency | Monthly (mechanical), 2x/year (digital) | Monthly (mechanical), 4x/year (digital/performance) | 4x/year | 4x/year |
Videos
Similar PROs
- MSG - Turkey's other main collective management organization, founded in 1999
- SACEM - Societe des auteurs, compositeurs et editeurs de musique, France's PRO
- SABAM - Belgium's society of authors, composers and publishers
- SIAE - Italian society of authors and publishers
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
