Sociedad de Autores y Compositores de México

SACM (Sociedad de Autores y Compositores de Mexico) is a Mexican collective management organization founded in 1945 that represents over 31,000 songwriters, composers, and publishers. It administers more than 435,000 musical works and collects both performance and mechanical royalties for its members, making it the largest and most internationally connected CMO in Mexico.

How SACM Works

SACM operates as a collective management organization (CMO) authorized under Mexico's Federal Copyright Law. It was originally founded in 1945 and took its current institutional form in 2007. The organization is affiliated with CISAC (Confederation Internationale des Societes d'Auteurs et Compositeurs), WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization), and BIEM (Bureau International des Societes Gerant les Droits d'Enregistrement et de Reproduction Mecanique), which connects it to hundreds of international CMOs for cross-border royalty collection.

SACM issues blanket licenses to radio stations, television networks, streaming platforms, concert venues, restaurants, bars, retail stores, and any business that plays music publicly in Mexico. It collects performance royalties from broadcasting and public performance, as well as mechanical royalties from the reproduction of musical works on physical media and digital platforms.

The organization distributes royalties to members based on usage data gathered through radio airplay monitoring, television cue sheets, streaming usage reports, and live performance setlists. SACM is the only CMO in Mexico with this degree of international royalty collection capability, which is one reason it represents over half of all Mexican artists.

SACM also handles sync and mechanical royalty administration internationally. Through an administration deal with Universal Music Publishing (UMP) Mexico, SACM Publishing's catalog receives administration, licensing, and creative services in the United States and Puerto Rico. This deal applies specifically to sync and mechanical royalties, not to performance royalties.

Mexico has three main collection societies: SACM (for authors and composers), ANDI (Asociacion Nacional de Interpretes, for performers), and EJE Ejecutantes (for performing musicians and singers, including mariachi bands and orchestras). SACM is the largest of the three and the only one that collects both performance and mechanical royalties.

Real-World Example

A Mexican songwriter joins SACM and registers 40 songs. A Mexico City radio station plays 12 of those songs in a given quarter, Spotify reports 500,000 streams of 20 songs across Mexico, and a concert promoter holds an SACM license for a festival where the songwriter performed 10 songs.

SACM collects royalties from all three sources. The songwriter receives distributions based on the radio airplay logs, streaming usage reports, and the live performance setlist submitted to SACM. If the same songs are played on radio in the United States, SACM's affiliation with CISAC and reciprocal agreements with US PROs (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC) mean those royalties are collected by the US society and transferred to SACM, which distributes them to the songwriter.

If the songwriter's music is used in a television show that airs in multiple Latin American countries, SACM's BIEM affiliation ensures mechanical royalties are collected for the reproduction of the works. The sync licensing deal with UMP Mexico can also facilitate placement of the songwriter's catalog in US productions.

A Mexican composer with 60 registered works receiving regular airplay on national radio, significant streaming activity, and live performances at licensed venues might earn anywhere from MXN 50,000 to MXN 800,000+ annually in SACM royalties, depending on the scale of usage.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

If you are a Mexican songwriter, composer, or publisher, SACM is the primary organization for collecting your performance and mechanical royalties in Mexico. It is the only Mexican CMO with international collection capability through CISAC, WIPO, and BIEM, which means your royalties are tracked globally without requiring separate memberships in foreign societies.

Register every composition with SACM as soon as it is commercially released. You need to provide complete metadata: title, writers, publishers, ownership splits, ISRC codes, and ISWC numbers. Unregistered works earn zero royalties, even if they receive thousands of plays on streaming platforms or radio.

If your music is used in television, film, or advertising, SACM's sync and mechanical administration through UMP Mexico provides additional revenue streams in the US and Puerto Rico markets. This is separate from performance royalty collection and requires proper registration of your publishing rights.

Mexico has three collection societies covering different rights categories. SACM handles authors' rights (songwriters and composers), ANDI handles performers' rights, and EJE covers performing musicians. If you both write and perform music, you may need to register with multiple societies to collect all the royalties you are owed. SACM covers the largest share of royalty types and has the broadest international reach.

Territory Covered

SACM covers the entire territory of Mexico. It operates 39 regional offices, 12 central offices, 5 regional offices, and 4 international offices (United States, South America, Europe, and Asia) to administer rights both domestically and abroad. Through its reciprocal agreements, SACM represents members' works in 212 countries worldwide.

How to Join and Membership Fees

Membership in SACM is free. There is no application fee, no annual dues, and no cost to affiliate. The SACM director of member services has publicly confirmed that the organization does not charge "a single cent" to join. Songwriters, composers, and publishers (Mexican or foreign) can apply by submitting a copy of their identification and documentation of their musical works. If a registered work generates royalties, SACM deducts its administrative percentage and pays the remainder to the member. If a work does not generate royalties, no fees are owed.

To join, applicants should contact SACM through its website (sacm.org.mx) or visit one of its delegation offices. Applicants must provide complete metadata for each work, including title, writers, publishers, ownership splits, ISRC codes, and ISWC numbers.

Overhead Rate

SACM retains different administrative percentages depending on the rights type:

• Performance rights (public communication): 20% of collected revenue
• Mechanical rights (reproduction): 10% of collected revenue
• US performance rights: 5% of collected revenue (reduced from 20% in 2004 due to the importance of the US market)

In addition to the administrative deduction, SACM retains 10% for its Social Welfare Fund (Prevision Social), consistent with international society practices. This fund provides benefits including a Christmas bonus for active members, pension eligibility for members with accumulated years of active status, and a discount card for commercial establishments.

Royalty Distribution Schedule

SACM distributes royalties on a quarterly basis (every 3 months). Each quarterly distribution statement provides detailed information about the sources of payment, allowing members to identify how, where, and when their works were used.

SACM uses three distribution methods:

1. Direct distribution (concerts, fairs, dances, phonomechanical): Approximately 49% of total annual income. Revenue is distributed equitably among the works actually performed.
2. Reported distribution (radio, television, cable, digital rights): Approximately 43% of total annual income. Uses monitoring data including duration, channel revenue, time slot, program type, and music participation type.
3. Sampled distribution (restaurants, bars, hotels, clubs): Uses sampling by Marketing Information across 24 representative cities that account for 90% of total income. Sampling is conducted over annual periods.

Reciprocal Agreements

SACM has signed reciprocal agreements with foreign societies representing members in 212 countries across 5 continents. Its primary international affiliations include:

• CISAC (Confederation Internationale des Societes d'Auteurs et Compositeurs): SACM was the first society in the world to comply with CISAC's professional rules for integrity, transparency, and efficiency. SACM hosted the 2023 CISAC General Assembly in Mexico City.
• WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization): Connects SACM to international intellectual property frameworks.
• BIEM (Bureau International des Societes Gerant les Droits d'Enregistrement et de Reproduction Mecanique): Ensures mechanical royalties are collected for the reproduction of works internationally.

Through these agreements, when a SACM member's music is performed on radio in the United States, the US society (ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC) collects those royalties and transfers them to SACM for distribution to the member. The same applies for performances in any of the 212 covered countries.

Notable Members

SACM has represented many of Mexico's most prominent songwriters and composers since its founding in 1945. Notable members include:

• Consuelo Velazquez (1916-2005): Composer of "Besame mucho," one of the most recorded Mexican songs in history
• Roberto Cantoral (1935-2010): Composer of "El Triste," "La Barca," and "El Reloj"; former SACM director
• Agustin Lara (1900-1970): Composer of "Granada" and "Solamente una vez"; founding member of SACM
• Manuel Esperon (1911-2011): Composer of "Ay, Jalisco no te rajes!" and Disney's "The Three Caballeros"; honorary president for life of SACM
• Armando Manzanero (1935-2020): Composer of "Somos novios" and "Contigo aprendi"; former SACM director
• Jose Alfredo Jimenez (1926-1973): Composer of "El rey" and "Ella"; one of the most influential figures in Mexican ranchera music
• Arturo Marquez (b. 1950): Composer of "Danzon No. 2," the most frequently performed classical piece worldwide in 2019
• Chucho Monge (1910-1964): Composer of "Mexico lindo y querido"; co-founder of SACM
• Alberto Dominguez (1913-1975): Composer of "Perfidia" and "Frenesi"; founding member of SACM
• Alfonso Esparza Oteo (1894-1951): Composer of "Un viejo amor"; founding member of SACM
• Martin Urieta: Current SACM chair and prominent composer
• Roberto Cantoral Zucchi: Current SACM director general

Comparison Table

Videos

Similar PROs

• SACVEN - Venezuelan society of authors and composers
• SADAIC - Argentine society of authors and composers
• SAYCO - Colombian society of authors and composers
• ASCAP - American Society of Composers, 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
• Blanket License - The licensing model used by SACM
• Collective Management Organization (CMO) - How CMOs operate globally
• SACM Official Website - Visit SACM for membership and licensing information
• Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to estimate your digital earnings