Svenska Artisters och Musikers Intresseorganisation (SAMI)

SAMI (Svenska Artisters och Musikers Intresseorganisation) is Sweden's collective management organization for performing artists and musicians, founded in 1963 in Stockholm. It collects and distributes remuneration to performers when recorded music is played in public, broadcast on radio and television, or used in commercial venues. Unlike traditional PROs that represent songwriters and composers, SAMI represents the performing artists and session musicians who appear on recordings.

How SAMI Works

SAMI collects remuneration under Sweden's Copyright Act (sections 45-47), which grants performers the right to compensation when their recorded performances are used publicly. This covers music played in stores, hotels, gyms, restaurants, broadcasting, and other public venues.

SAMI operates as an economic association without profit motive. It was founded in 1963 by the Swedish Musicians' Union (Svenska Musikerforbundet) and the Theatre Union (Teaterforbundet). Since 1985, Sveriges Yrkesmusikersforbund (SYMF) has been an independent union whose members were previously part of the Swedish Musicians' Union.

SAMI also collects remuneration for phonogram producers through a separate agreement with IFPI Svenska Gruppen. Additionally, SAMI administers private copying remuneration (PKE), which compensates rights holders for private copying of recorded music.

In 2025, SAMI paid out 272 million SEK to 103,724 artists and musicians in Sweden and internationally, a 69% increase from the previous year. Total revenue for 2025 was 280 million SEK. SAMI also set aside 244 million SEK for future distributions, a record level. The organization had 58,714 directly affiliated artists and musicians at the end of 2025, up 4% year-on-year.

SAMI's international operations are a significant part of its activities. The organization held 72 reciprocal agreements in 57 countries at the end of 2025, collecting 78 million SEK from foreign organizations during the year, up 19% from 2024.

In 2024, SAMI's total revenue reached 580 million SEK, an exceptional year driven by the collection of a historic private copying debt of 308 million SEK. However, an EU court ruling (C-179/23) in late 2024 required SAMI to pause Swedish remuneration payments temporarily because certain administrative fees became subject to VAT. SAMI resolved this issue and resumed distributions in 2025.

A legislative change effective July 1, 2025, affected how SAMI reports music usage for businesses. Businesses that play music must submit usage reports, and failure to do so results in an invoice based on estimated information plus a 500 SEK administrative fee.

SAMI partnered with Soundtrack Technologies in February 2025, making Soundtrack the only B2B music streaming provider with a direct SAMI partnership for seamless music licensing for businesses.

CEO is Stefan Lagrell.

Real-World Example

A Swedish session guitarist plays on 20 recordings during a year. A Stockholm restaurant plays 10 of those recordings as background music, a radio station broadcasts 5 of them, and a gym streams a playlist that includes 8 of them.

SAMI collects remuneration from all three sources. The restaurant and gym pay licensing fees that include performer remuneration. The radio station pays broadcasting fees. SAMI allocates the collected remuneration to the guitarist based on the recording line-up information (inspelningslistor) submitted by producers and record labels.

If the same recordings are played on radio in Germany, SAMI's reciprocal agreement with GVL means GVL collects the remuneration and remits it to SAMI, which distributes it to the guitarist. In 2025, SAMI collected 78 million SEK internationally through these agreements.

A session musician who played on 20 recordings that receive regular public performance in Sweden might earn anywhere from 5,000 SEK to 100,000 SEK or more annually from SAMI, depending on the scale of usage. SAMI's 2025 distribution of 272 million SEK across 103,724 recipients means the average payment was approximately 2,620 SEK, though payments vary widely based on the number and popularity of recordings.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

SAMI is distinct from STIM, which represents songwriters and composers. If you are a performer or musician who has contributed to a recording (as a featured artist, session musician, backing vocalist, or instrumentalist), SAMI collects your performer remuneration. You can be affiliated with both SAMI and STIM if you are both a performer and a songwriter.

Join SAMI if you have participated in any recording that is commercially available. Membership is open to all artists and musicians who have contributed to a sound recording, from hobby musicians to international stars. Many SAMI members are session musicians and backing musicians who do not have royalty deals with record labels and depend on SAMI distributions as a supplementary income source.

Submit accurate recording line-up information (inspelningslistor) to SAMI. These forms identify which performers contributed to which recordings and in what capacity (singer, guitarist, sound engineer, etc.). Without this information, SAMI cannot allocate remuneration to you, even if your recordings are played extensively.

SAMI's 72 reciprocal agreements mean your performer remuneration is collected internationally. Swedish music has global reach, and recordings featuring Swedish performers are played worldwide. Ensure your recording credits are registered so international usage is tracked.

Note that on-demand streaming (such as Spotify) is not covered by SAMI's remuneration under section 47 of the Copyright Act. Streaming remuneration falls under the performer's exclusive right under section 45, which is typically transferred to the record label. SAMI has advocated for legislative reform to ensure performers receive streaming remuneration regardless of label contracts.

Related Resources

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