Georgian Authors' Society (SAS)

SAS (Georgian Authors' Society, also known as Georgian Society of Authors and Composers) is Georgia's collective management organization for musical works, based in Tbilisi. It collects and distributes royalties for the public performance, broadcasting, reproduction, and synchronization of musical works on behalf of Georgian authors, composers, and publishers, and maintains reciprocal representation agreements with sister societies worldwide.

How SAS Works

SAS issues licenses to radio stations, television networks, streaming services, live concert venues, restaurants, retail stores, and any business that uses music publicly in Georgia. License fees are collected and distributed to rights holders based on usage data from broadcast logs, streaming reports, and concert set lists.

SAS operates under Georgia's Law on Copyright and Related Rights, which was enacted on June 22, 1999, in alignment with international copyright standards. The organization represents both Georgian rights holders and foreign rights holders through reciprocal agreements with collecting societies in other countries.

SAS is listed in international PRO directories as Georgia's representing society for musical works. It maintains reciprocal agreements with sister societies across multiple countries, enabling Georgian creators to collect royalties internationally and foreign creators to collect royalties for uses in Georgia.

The organization is based at 63 Kostava Street in Tbilisi. Contact is available by phone at +995 32 33-56-79 and by email at info@sas.org.ge.

Real-World Example

A Georgian composer registers 15 songs with SAS. A Tbilisi radio station plays 8 of those songs in regular rotation, a streaming service reports 500,000 streams, and a live concert at the Tbilisi Concert Hall features 5 of the songs in its set list.

SAS collects royalties from all three sources. The radio royalties are allocated based on airplay logs submitted by the station. The streaming royalties are allocated based on usage reports from the streaming service. The live concert royalties are allocated based on the set list submitted by the concert organizer.

If the same songs are played on radio in Turkey, SAS's reciprocal agreement with MSG (Turkey's music rights society) means MSG collects those royalties and remits them to SAS, which distributes them to the composer in the next distribution cycle.

A Georgian composer with 15 songs receiving regular airplay and moderate streaming activity might earn anywhere from 5,000 to 50,000 Georgian Lari (GEL) or more annually from SAS royalties, depending on the scale of usage and their registered share of the works.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

If you are a Georgian songwriter, composer, or publisher, SAS is the primary organization for collecting performance royalties in Georgia. Register every composition with SAS before commercial release. Unregistered works earn zero royalties, even if they receive extensive airplay or millions of streams.

Submit accurate metadata including ISRC codes, ISWC numbers, and split sheets. SAS's matching system processes usage data across radio, television, streaming, and live concerts, so correct metadata directly impacts how quickly and completely you get paid.

SAS's reciprocal agreements with foreign societies mean your music earns royalties internationally. Georgian music, including traditional polyphonic singing, contemporary pop, and electronic music, has growing global audiences. Ensure your works are registered so international performances are tracked and royalties flow back to you.

Georgia's copyright law (1999) provides protection for both economic and moral rights of creators. SAS operates within this framework to ensure creators receive fair compensation for the use of their works. If you are a foreign creator whose music is performed in Georgia, your rights are also protected through SAS's reciprocal agreements.

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 SAS
• Collective Management Organization (CMO) - How CMOs operate globally
• Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to estimate your digital earnings