Sociedad de Autores y Compositores de Colombia

SAYCO (Sociedad de Autores y Compositores de Colombia) is Colombia's primary performing rights organization, founded on August 17, 1946, in Bogota. It is a non-profit collective management society that collects and distributes royalties for the public performance, broadcasting, streaming, reproduction, and synchronization of musical works on behalf of Colombian authors and composers and 100 foreign sister societies.

How SAYCO Works

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

SAYCO distributes royalties quarterly (three distribution cycles per year). The organization manages both national and international repertoire, representing millions of works across all genres including musical, dramatic, choreographic, and audiovisual works.

SAYCO is a member of CISAC (since 1952) and BIEM (since 2004). It maintains reciprocal representation agreements with 100 foreign societies, enabling Colombian creators to collect royalties internationally and foreign creators to collect royalties for uses in Colombia.

In 2026, SAYCO partnered with data specialists BMAT to handle VoD (Video on Demand) processing and music rights distribution. This partnership increases the number and accuracy of rights holders receiving royalties in the region, enabling faster and more efficient distributions and improving transparency and consistency of information delivered to societies across Latin America.

SAYCO operates alongside ACINPRO (Asociacion Colombiana de Interpretes y Productores Fonograficos), which collects royalties for performers and phonographic producers. The two organizations jointly operate OSA (Organizacion Sayco Acinpro), established in 1987, which collects royalties for public performance of music in commercial establishments throughout Colombia.

Under Colombia's Andean Decision 351 (1993) and Law 44 of 1993, an author or composer can only be affiliated with one collective management society that collects royalties worldwide on their behalf. If a Colombian composer wants ASCAP to be their global society, they must disaffiliate from SAYCO.

SAYCO's tariff structure includes specific rates for different uses: reproduction of musical works on physical media (calculated at 7.46% of the base price, with a minimum of 500 units), public performance in commercial establishments, radio and television broadcasting, advertising campaigns (10% of the applicable tariff), and digital rights. The organization also provides online payment through PSE for quick and secure royalty payments.

The organization is governed by a 7-member Board of Directors. President is Rita Lucila Fernandez Padilla and CEO is Cesar Augusto Ahumada Avendano.

SAYCO also offers social benefits to members, including discounts on educational programs through a partnership with Universidad Abierta y a Distancia (UNAD), which provides access to 120 programs at reduced rates.

Real-World Example

A Colombian songwriter registers 20 songs with SAYCO. A Bogota radio station plays 10 of those songs in regular rotation, a streaming service reports 1 million streams, and a live concert at the Corferias convention center features 6 of the songs in its set list.

SAYCO collects royalties from all three sources. The radio royalties are allocated based on airplay logs. 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 streaming platforms in Mexico, SAYCO's reciprocal agreement with SACM means SACM collects those royalties and remits them to SAYCO, which distributes them to the songwriter in the next quarterly distribution cycle.

For physical reproduction, if a record label wants to press 1,000 CDs containing 10 SAYCO-administered works, the tariff is calculated on a base of 15,047 Colombian pesos per work, at 7.46% of the base price, multiplied by the number of copies. The minimum authorized pressing is 500 units.

A Colombian songwriter with 20 songs receiving regular airplay and significant streaming activity might earn anywhere from 2 million to 20 million Colombian pesos or more annually from SAYCO royalties, depending on the scale of usage and their registered share of the works.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

If you are a Colombian songwriter, composer, or publisher, SAYCO is the primary organization for collecting performance and reproduction royalties in Colombia. Register every composition with SAYCO 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. SAYCO's matching system processes usage data across radio, television, streaming, live concerts, and public venues, so correct metadata directly impacts how quickly and completely you get paid.

Remember that Colombian law prohibits belonging to two collective management societies simultaneously for the same rights. If you choose SAYCO as your society, you cannot also be a member of ASCAP, BMI, or another PRO for the same catalog of works. Choose carefully based on where your music is primarily performed.

SAYCO's 100 reciprocal agreements with foreign societies mean your music earns royalties internationally. Colombian music, including vallenato, cumbia, reggaeton, and Latin pop, has growing global audiences. Ensure your works are registered so international performances are tracked and royalties flow back to you.

The 2026 BMAT partnership means SAYCO is improving its digital rights processing, particularly for video on demand. This should result in more accurate and faster distributions for digital uses, which is increasingly important as streaming platforms grow in Latin America.

Use SAYCO's online portal to keep your contact information updated, check your registered works, and receive payments through PSE. The organization also provides digital tools for quick consultations about your registered works.

Territory Covered

SAYCO covers the territory of Colombia. It collects royalties for the public performance, broadcasting, streaming, reproduction, and synchronization of musical works within Colombia. Through its reciprocal agreements with 100+ foreign societies, SAYCO also enables Colombian creators to collect royalties internationally and foreign creators to collect royalties for uses of their works within Colombia.

How to Join and Membership Fees

Membership in SAYCO is free. The organization states explicitly that "la afiliacion no tiene costo" (affiliation has no cost). Both natural persons (individuals) and legal entities (companies), whether Colombian or foreign, who hold original or derived rights in the works managed by SAYCO are eligible to join.

To affiliate, prospective members must submit an application through SAYCO's website or at one of its 26 regional coordination offices. Applicants must provide identification, proof of authorship, and details of their musical works. Once affiliated, members can register works, track distributions through the SAYCO Virtual portal, and receive payments via PSE (online payment system).

SAYCO represents more than 9,974 musical creators and 168 publishers as of its 2024 management report, with a database of over 12.2 million registered works (318,425 national works and 11,975,690 international works).

Overhead Rate

SAYCO deducts approximately 20% of collected income for operational expenses and functioning costs. An additional 10% is reinvested in member programs and social benefits. The remaining 70% is distributed to authors, composers, and publishers as royalties. SAYCO's distribution allocates 39% of distributed resources to composers, 38% to the publishing sector, and 23% to foreign societies whose works SAYCO administers in Colombia.

These figures were confirmed by SAYCO's legal director Ricardo Gomez in 2020. The overhead rate has been a subject of public debate in Colombia, with some members questioning the transparency of expense reporting.

Royalty Distribution Schedule

SAYCO distributes royalties 4 times per year (quarterly) in the months of March, June, September, and December. This schedule applies to both national collections and incoming international royalties. SAYCO publishes distribution announcements on its website and LinkedIn page to notify members of upcoming payments.

Reciprocal Agreements

SAYCO maintains reciprocal representation agreements with 100+ foreign sister societies worldwide (109 agreements according to its 2024 management report). SAYCO has been a member of CISAC since 1952 and BIEM since 2004. The organization has also strengthened its international presence through agreements with 15 collective management societies in 11 countries with which Colombia maintains double taxation agreements.

Through these reciprocal agreements, SAYCO represents more than 95% of the works reported in global works databases. When Colombian music is performed abroad, the foreign society collects royalties and remits them to SAYCO for distribution to its members. Conversely, when foreign works are performed in Colombia, SAYCO collects and remits to the appropriate foreign society.

Notable Members

SAYCO has been led by and represents many of Colombia's most prominent composers and songwriters:

• Rafael Escalona (vallenato songwriter, considered the greatest vallenato composer of all time, multiple-term SAYCO president)
• Rita Fernandez Padilla (first female president of SAYCO, songwriter and accordionist who led Las Universitarias, wrote the official hymn of Valledupar)
• Jorge Camargo Spolidore (co-founder of SAYCO in 1946, composer and bandleader, wrote "Rapsodia Colombiana" and "Chatica Linda")
• Romualdo Brito (former SAYCO president, prolific vallenato composer whose works were recorded by Poncho Zuleta, Jorge Onate, Silvestre Dangond, and El Binomio de Oro)
• Graciela Arango de Tobon (songwriter awarded "Lira de Oro" by SAYCO in 1982 as the most prolific and multifaceted female composer in Colombia)
• Rafael Manjarrez (current SAYCO President)
• Cesar Augusto Ahumada Avendano (current CEO/General Manager)

Comparison Table

Videos

Similar PROs

• SACM - Mexico's society of authors and composers, covering a similar Latin American market
• SADAIC - Argentina's society of authors and composers, a major Latin American PRO
• ACINPRO - Colombia's neighboring society for performers and phonographic producers, which jointly operates OSA with SAYCO
• COSCAP - Barbados' copyright society, a Caribbean counterpart with similar CISAC membership

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 SAYCO
• Collective Management Organization (CMO) - How CMOs operate globally
• SAYCO Official Website - Visit SAYCO for membership and licensing information
• Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to estimate your digital earnings