ONDA (Office National des Droits d'Auteur et des Droits Voisins)

ONDA (Office National des Droits d'Auteur et des Droits Voisins) is Algeria's public collective management organization for copyright and neighboring rights, established by Law No. 03-05 of July 19, 2003. Based in Algiers, it collects and distributes royalties for authors, performing artists, producers, and publishers when their works are used publicly in Algeria, including on radio, television, and digital platforms.

How ONDA Works

ONDA operates under the authority of Algeria's Ministry of Culture and Arts. It is managed by a board of directors chaired by a representative of the Ministry, with members drawn from sectors involved in copyright and related rights management. The organization employs 237 staff and operates under a legal licensing system.

ONDA's mandate covers:

• Copyright collection from music broadcasters, television channels, radio stations, and reprographic organizations
• Neighboring rights management for performers, musicians, and audio recording producers
• Reprographic rights licensing for educational and professional reproduction of protected works
• International representation through reciprocal agreements with foreign collective management organizations
• Protection of traditional cultural heritage and national works in the public domain

Under Article 119 of Law No. 03-05, ONDA collects royalties for the use of audio recordings in commercial settings. These royalties are distributed at 50% to the performer or musician and 50% to the audio recording producer. The royalty rate is determined by the Minister of Culture after consultation with representatives of rights holders.

In April 2025, ONDA signed a strategic pan-African agreement with CAPASSO (Composers, Authors and Publishers Association of South Africa) at a ceremony in Algiers. The agreement, signed by ONDA Director General Samir Thaalbi and CAPASSO Director General Jotam Matariro under the auspices of Minister of Culture Zoheir Balalou, aims to establish a pan-African technological hub for documentation, traceability, and transparent distribution of digital rights. The partnership also launched the African Alliance of Copyright (AADA) to federate African societies around shared principles of solidarity and efficiency in global negotiations.

ONDA registers works and performances, collects royalties from users, and distributes funds to rights holders based on actual usage data. The organization maintains reciprocal representation agreements with foreign societies to protect foreign rights holders whose works are exploited in Algeria and to ensure Algerian creators are paid when their works are used abroad.

Real-World Example

An Algerian musician records an album and registers the compositions and sound recordings with ONDA. A national radio station plays tracks from the album 500 times over six months. The station pays ONDA a blanket license fee for the right to broadcast recorded music.

ONDA collects the fee and allocates royalties based on the radio station's playlist logs. Under Article 119, the royalty for each broadcast use is split 50% to the performing musician and 50% to the record producer. If the album's producer is the musician themselves (as is common for independent artists), they receive both shares.

If the same album is streamed on an international platform like Spotify, ONDA's 2025 agreement with CAPASSO enables the collection of digital royalties from global streaming platforms. CAPASSO acts as ONDA's international mandate, tracking usage and collecting on behalf of Algerian creators across worldwide digital platforms.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

If you are an Algerian songwriter, composer, performer, or producer, ONDA is the sole organization authorized to collect copyright and neighboring rights royalties on your behalf in Algeria. Without ONDA registration, you earn no royalties when your music is broadcast on Algerian radio or television, performed in public venues, or reproduced commercially.

Register your works and sound recordings with ONDA before public release. Submit complete metadata including performer credits, producer information, and split details. Under Algerian law, the 50/50 split between performers and producers is statutory, so accurate registration of both roles ensures correct distribution.

The April 2025 CAPASSO agreement significantly improves your ability to collect digital royalties from international streaming platforms. Previously, Algerian creators had limited mechanisms for international digital royalty collection. This partnership creates a pathway for your music to generate revenue on global platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube.

If you are a foreign artist whose music is used in Algeria, ONDA collects royalties through reciprocal agreements with your home society. Ensure your works are registered with your national society so that ONDA can identify and pay for usage of your catalog in the Algerian market.

Territory Covered

ONDA administers copyright and neighboring rights within Algeria. Its collection and distribution activities cover all public performances, broadcasts, reproductions, and digital transmissions of protected works within Algerian territory. Through reciprocal representation agreements with foreign collecting societies, ONDA also facilitates collection of royalties for Algerian creators when their works are used abroad, and represents foreign societies' repertoires within Algeria.

How to Join and Membership Fees

ONDA membership is open to authors, composers, performers, producers, and other rights holders. The membership fees are:

• Individuals (personne physique): 1,000 DA (approximately $7.40 USD)
• Legal entities (personne morale): 5,000 DA (approximately $37 USD)

Registration can be completed online through ONDA's remote enrollment system (inscription a distance) available on the ONDA website. Applicants must submit identification documents, proof of authorship or performance status, and complete the registration form. The ONDA website also provides a declaration system for remote work registration (declaration a distance).

ONDA operates 14 regional agencies across Algeria, including central (Algiers), eastern (Constantine), western (Oran), and southern directorates, to process membership applications and manage rights locally.

Overhead Rate

ONDA's administrative cost deduction is not publicly disclosed as a single percentage figure. As a public industrial and commercial establishment (EPIC) under the Ministry of Culture and Arts, ONDA's operational costs are funded through collected royalties and state support. The organization reported approximately 5 billion DA in annual revenue. Specific overhead rates applied before royalty distribution are not published in ONDA's publicly available materials.

Royalty Distribution Schedule

ONDA distributes royalties to rights holders based on usage data collected from licensees. The organization has announced distribution cycles for neighboring rights (droits voisins) on an annual basis. In 2026, ONDA announced the distribution of neighboring rights funds for 2024 to performing artists and audio recording producers. Copyright reproduction rights distributions have also been announced periodically, with 367 million DA distributed for reproduction rights in a prior cycle.

The organization also manages a social protection system for members, including supplementary retirement and old-age benefits distributed in quarterly installments. The fourth tranche of supplementary retirement payments for 2025 was announced in 2026.

Reciprocal Agreements

ONDA maintains reciprocal representation agreements with foreign collective management organizations to protect foreign rights holders whose works are exploited in Algeria and to ensure Algerian creators are paid when their works are used abroad. ONDA's international affiliations include:

• CAPASSO (South Africa) - Strategic pan-African agreement signed in April 2025, establishing a pan-African technological hub for documentation and transparent distribution of digital rights, and launching the African Alliance of Copyright (AADA)
• WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) - Memorandum of understanding with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center signed in 2023 for alternative dispute resolution
• IFRRO (International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations) - Membership for reprographic rights management
• YouTube/Google - Content license partnership (signed 2016, later replaced by AMRA)
• AMRA - International digital rights collection partnership (replaced YouTube direct agreement in 2018)

Algeria is a signatory to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works and the Universal Copyright Convention (UNESCO), providing international copyright protection framework.

Notable Members

ONDA has approximately 20,000 registered members. The organization does not publish a comprehensive public list of notable members. Algerian musical groups and artists whose works have been associated with ONDA's royalty collection activities include:

• Babylone - Algerian rock band with significant YouTube presence
• Dey - Algerian musical group
• Djmawi Africa - Algerian musical group

ONDA's membership spans authors, composers, performing artists, audio recording producers, and publishers across musical, literary, dramatic, and audiovisual works.

Comparison Table

Videos

Similar PROs

• CAPASSO - South African composers and publishers society with a 2025 strategic agreement with ONDA
• SAMRO - Southern African Music Rights Organisation covering similar African territory
• SACEM Egypt - Egyptian copyright management organization in the North African region
• MCSK - Music Copyright Society of Kenya, another African collective management organization

Related Resources

• Performing Rights Organizations (PRO) - What a PRO is and how it functions
• Neighboring Rights - How neighboring rights work for performers
• Collective Management Organization (CMO) - How CMOs operate globally
• Performance Royalties - How performance royalties are generated and collected
• ONDA Official Website - Visit ONDA for registration and licensing information
• Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to estimate your digital earnings