Société des Auteurs, Compositeurs et Editeurs de Musique

SACEM (Société des Auteurs, Compositeurs et Editeurs de Musique) is a French non-profit cooperative performing rights organization founded in 1851 that represents over 251,000 authors, composers, and publishers. It collects royalties from public performances, broadcasting, streaming, and reproduction of its members' works across nearly 180 countries and distributes them based on usage data.

How SACEM Works

SACEM operates as a cooperative (société civile) owned and managed by its members. It is the oldest collecting society in the world and the largest in Europe. Members include authors, composers, publishers, author-directors, poets, and humorists. In 2025, 13,500 new members joined SACEM, 27% of whom were under 25 years old. The total membership now exceeds 251,000, with 12% from foreign markets.

SACEM issues blanket licenses to radio stations, television networks, streaming platforms, concert venues, restaurants, retail stores, cinemas, and any business that plays music publicly. It collects royalties across six revenue streams: concerts and live performances (EUR 451 million), TV and radio (EUR 312 million), online including music and VOD/SVOD (EUR 730 million), private copying (EUR 73 million), international sources (EUR 115 million), and physical media reproduction (EUR 22 million).

In 2025, SACEM distributed EUR 1.502 billion to 663,000 creators and publishers worldwide, a 9% increase from 2024. Revenue collected in France reached EUR 859 million, broadly stable compared to 2024. International collections reached EUR 845 million, up 13% from 2024 and up 30% over the past two years, driven largely by digital platforms and global streaming growth.

SACEM maintains an expense-to-revenue ratio of 9.8%, one of the lowest among collecting societies globally. This means approximately 90 cents of every euro collected goes to creators. Starting in January 2026, SACEM reduced its online royalty management fee to 7%, down from previous rates, making it one of the most competitive organizations for collecting and distributing digital royalties.

Membership costs EUR 100 for creators (including EUR 10 share capital) and EUR 300 for publishers (including EUR 10 share capital), paid once. Creators can join online in approximately 10 minutes. Once accepted, members declare their works, provide bank details for royalty payments, and report setlists for live performances through the SACEM member portal.

SACEM has become the European leader in CD and vinyl rights management. In 2025, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and BMG joined Universal Music Group by partnering with SACEM to manage their rights across the entire European market. The organization also migrated its URights platform to a cloud-based solution, increasing data processing capacity tenfold while reducing operating costs by a factor of 5.

In February 2026, SACEM signed a landmark representation agreement with EMRA (Emirates Arts and Music Rights Association), the first collective management organization in the UAE. SACEM represents the largest Arabic-language repertoire in the world and has been expanding its presence in the Gulf region alongside IFPI and PPL.

Notable Members

SACEM's membership includes some of the most prominent French-language songwriters and composers of the past century. The SACEM Museum (Musee Sacem) documents the membership records of these artists.

• Edith Piaf: Joined SACEM as an author on February 11, 1944, and as a composer on October 14, 1948. She became a permanent member on June 17, 1955. Her song "La Vie en rose" remains one of the most performed French songs worldwide.
• Johnny Hallyday: Joined SACEM as a composer on April 2, 1963, and as an author on October 7, 1984. He became a permanent member on March 18, 1971. Often called the "French Elvis," he sold more than 110 million records over a 57-year career.
• Francoise Hardy: Joined SACEM as an author in 1961 and as a composer in 1963. She became a permanent member on March 20, 1969. She registered more than 350 works with SACEM during her career.
• Mylene Farmer: Joined SACEM as an author on March 29, 1987, and as a composer on November 18, 1997. She became a permanent member on April 28, 1994. She is one of the most successful French recording artists, with more than 30 million records sold.
• Alain Souchon: Joined SACEM as an author-composer on December 2, 1971. He became a permanent member on April 17, 1980. He won the Prix Vincent Scotto in 1977 and has been a fixture of French chanson for five decades.
• Tete: Singer-songwriter and current president of the SACEM Endowment Fund board, as announced at Sacem Day 2026. The board also includes Julien Dorcel, Woodkid, and Oli.

SACEM also represents international publishers and labels. In 2025, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and BMG joined Universal Music Group in partnering with SACEM to manage their rights across the European market.

Real-World Example

A French songwriter joins SACEM for EUR 100 and registers 20 songs. A Paris radio station plays 5 of those songs in a given quarter, Deezer reports 300,000 streams of 10 songs, and a concert venue holds a SACEM license for a live performance where the songwriter performed 8 songs.

SACEM collects royalties from all three sources. The songwriter receives distributions based on radio airplay logs, streaming usage reports, and the live performance setlist they submitted through their member account. If the same songs are played on radio in Germany, SACEM's reciprocal agreement with GEMA means GEMA collects those royalties and transfers them to SACEM, which distributes them to the songwriter.

With SACEM's 9.8% expense ratio, if EUR 10,000 in royalties is collected for a songwriter's works, approximately EUR 9,020 is paid to the writer and publisher (split according to registered shares) and EUR 980 covers administrative costs. For online streaming royalties, the management fee drops to 7% from January 2026, meaning EUR 9,300 would reach the creator on EUR 10,000 collected.

A French composer with 50 registered works receiving regular airplay on national radio, significant streaming activity across European platforms, and live performances at licensed venues might earn anywhere from EUR 5,000 to EUR 120,000+ annually in SACEM royalties.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

If you are a French-speaking songwriter, composer, or publisher, SACEM is the primary organization for collecting your performance and mechanical royalties in France. It is the oldest and largest collecting society in Europe, with one of the lowest management fee rates in the world.

Join SACEM before your music is publicly released. You can sign up online in about 10 minutes for a one-time fee of EUR 100. Once accepted, register every composition with complete metadata: title, writers, publishers, ownership splits, ISRC codes, and ISWC numbers. SACEM processes over 6.8 million new work registrations annually, so accurate metadata directly impacts how quickly and completely you get paid.

SACEM's international reach is a significant advantage. The organization collects royalties directly in nearly 180 countries through reciprocal agreements with 126 foreign societies. Almost 40% of members' music streaming royalties are now collected from international markets. If your music streams globally, SACEM's infrastructure ensures those royalties reach you without requiring membership in multiple national societies.

SACEM also provides social protection programs for members, including a mutual insurance plan, provident fund, and legal advice. The organization invests over EUR 17 million annually in cultural initiatives, funding 3,800 projects across France. Members can apply for grants for creation, production, distribution, and training.

For creators in the Middle East and North Africa region, SACEM's expansion is relevant. Its representation of the largest Arabic-language repertoire and its February 2026 agreement with EMRA in the UAE mean Arabic-language creators now have improved access to collective rights management in the Gulf region.

Drawbacks / Things to Consider

Membership costs EUR 100 for creators (including EUR 10 share capital) and EUR 300 for publishers. This is a one-time fee, but you should join only when your music is likely to generate royalties. If you join too early and earn nothing, the fee is lost. Some sources report the fee may be higher (up to EUR 154) depending on the registration path and stamp duty requirements.

SACEM has faced criticism for aggressive collection practices. In 2025, French media reported complaints from small businesses, schools, and even funeral homes being charged licensing fees. A school director was charged EUR 110 for a student performance. A deputy in the French National Assembly raised the issue of charges being "difficultly sustainable for primary schools." Short-term rental owners with radios or TVs in their properties have also been contacted for fees.

Some members report poor communication from SACEM. One long-term member documented never receiving an official letter, bulletin, or invitation to the annual general assembly since joining in 2000. While SACEM has improved its digital tools, communication gaps persist for some members.

International royalties depend on reciprocal agreements with 126 foreign societies. Data quality and payment speed vary by society. Budget for delays of 6 to 18 months on international collections.

SACEM only collects directly in France and its territories. For revenue from other countries, you rely entirely on the reciprocal agreement network. If your music is heavily used in a country where SACEM's partner society has weak data reporting, you may lose royalties.

Video Gallery

The following videos provide additional context about SACEM, its members, and its cultural initiatives.

Veronique Sanson Receives the Special Sacem Prize (Grands Prix Sacem 2015)

The Grands Prix Sacem ceremony, held annually, recognizes authors, composers, and publishers who are SACEM members. This video shows Veronique Sanson receiving the Special Prize at the 2015 ceremony at the Folies Bergere in Paris. The Grands Prix is one of SACEM's most prominent cultural events.

Related Resources

• Performing Rights Organizations Directory - Browse the full list of PROs worldwide
• 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
• Blanket License - The licensing model used by SACEM
• Collective Management Organization (CMO) - How CMOs operate globally
• Visit SACEM for membership info
• Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to estimate your digital earnings

Similar Performing Rights Organizations

• GEMA - The German performing rights society, SACEM's counterpart in the largest European music market
• PRS for Music - The UK performing rights organization, with a similar cooperative structure and international reach
• SIAE - The Italian collecting society, another major European PRO with comparable royalty collection scope
• ASCAP - The largest US-based PRO, useful for comparison of fee structures and distribution models
• BMI - The second-largest US PRO, offering free membership unlike SACEM's one-time fee
• SOCAN - The Canadian performing rights organization, with reciprocal agreements with SACEM
• SACEM Egypt - SACEM's affiliate operating in Egypt and the MENA region
• STEF - The Swiss performing rights society, neighboring SACEM's territory