Związek Artystów i Kompozytorów Scenicznych

ZAIKS (Stowarzyszenie Autorów ZAiKS) is Poland's oldest and largest collective management organization for copyright, founded in 1918 in Warsaw. It represents approximately 3,000 members across music, literature, drama, visual arts, and other creative fields, collecting and distributing royalties for the public performance, broadcasting, streaming, and digital use of its members' copyrighted works.

How ZAIKS Works

ZAIKS operates as a non-profit membership organization governed by a Board of Directors elected from and by its members. The organization holds a unique position in Polish copyright management, having been the sole legal copyright collective in Poland for decades until the market opened in 1995 under new copyright legislation. It remains the dominant CMO in the country.

The organization represents creators across multiple artistic disciplines: composers, lyricists, screenwriters, playwrights, translators, visual artists, choreographers, and other creators, as well as music publishers. Music publishers were granted full membership rights in 2018 under the collective management act, a change ZAIKS describes as a return to its pre-World War II roots when it was known as the Association of Authors, Composers and Publishers.

ZAIKS collects royalties from several sources: broadcasting (radio and television stations), digital platforms (streaming services and VOD), live performances (concerts, festivals, theater), general licensing (restaurants, cafes, retail stores, hotels), and international collections through reciprocal agreements with foreign societies. The organization protects over 97 million Polish and foreign works and represents over 4.5 million foreign authors and publishers in Poland.

Membership is open to any person who holds copyright to creative works. Members can be ordinary members (with full voting rights) or extraordinary members. As of the end of 2022, ZAIKS had 2,993 members (1,709 ordinary and 1,284 extraordinary), with approximately 23,100 rights holders having assigned their rights for collective management. Approximately one in four assigned creators is under 35 years old.

In 2025, ZAIKS achieved a record year, distributing 677 million PLN (approximately $170 million) to its creators. Of that total, 120 million PLN came from internet sources, reflecting the growing dominance of streaming and digital platforms in royalty collection. The organization also operates a Creativity Support Fund that distributes millions of zlotys annually to support arts and cultural initiatives across Poland.

ZAIKS has taken a strong position on AI and copyright. In early 2025, it published a "reservation of rights" for text and data mining (TDM), declaring that works in its repertoire cannot be used to train AI systems without a licensing agreement. This opt-out leverages the EU Directive 2019/790, which allows rights holders to reserve their works against TDM. ZAIKS has stated that AI-generated content does not qualify as "works" under copyright law because it lacks human authorship, and that it will not pay royalties for portions of works generated by AI.

The organization is headquartered at the "House Under the Kings" in Warsaw, the former seat of the historic Zaluski Library. Members also have access to five Houses of Creative Work in scenic locations across Poland (Zakopane, Krynica-Zdroj, Sopot, Ustka, and Konstancin-Jeziorna) for creative retreats.

Real-World Example

A Polish composer writes music for a television series that airs on a national broadcaster and is later picked up by a streaming platform. They register the compositions with ZAIKS and assign their rights for collective management.

The television station pays licensing fees to ZAIKS for broadcasting the music. When the series moves to a streaming platform like Netflix or HBO Max, ZAIKS collects digital royalties through its agreements with VOD services. If the series is distributed internationally, ZAIKS's reciprocal agreements with foreign societies (such as GEMA in Germany or SACEM in France) mean those societies collect performance royalties and remit them back to ZAIKS for distribution to the composer.

With ZAIKS's 2025 distribution of 677 million PLN across approximately 23,100 rights holders, the average annual payout was roughly 29,300 PLN ($7,300). However, actual distributions vary widely based on usage frequency and territory. A composer whose music appears regularly on Polish television and streaming platforms might earn 100,000 PLN or more annually, while a composer with limited airplay might receive only a few thousand PLN.

If the same composer uses AI tools like Suno to generate a portion of a song, ZAIKS will register the work but will not pay royalties for the AI-generated portion. Only the human-authored elements qualify for royalty distribution.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

If you are a Polish songwriter, composer, lyricist, or publisher, ZAIKS is the primary collective management organization for collecting your performance and digital royalties. While other CMOs exist in Poland, ZAIKS remains the largest and most established, with over a century of operation and the broadest repertoire coverage.

To join, apply through the ZAIKS website. You must hold copyright to at least one creative work. After admission, you assign your rights for collective management, allowing ZAIKS to license and collect royalties on your behalf. Membership includes access to the five Houses of Creative Work retreats and eligibility for the Creativity Support Fund.

Register your works with complete metadata: titles, co-writer information, publisher shares, ISWC numbers, and ISRC codes for recordings. ZAIKS uses this data to match usage reports from broadcasters, streaming platforms, and venues to your compositions. Inaccurate or incomplete metadata is the most common reason for missed or delayed royalty payments.

If you use AI tools in your creative process, understand that ZAIKS will only pay royalties for human-authored portions of your works. You must disclose which elements were AI-generated during registration. ZAIKS's position aligns with the broader EU legal framework, which requires human creative control for copyright protection.

For international reach, ZAIKS's membership in CISAC, BIEM, and GESAC means your royalties are collected in over 100 countries through reciprocal agreements. If your music is performed or streamed outside Poland, those royalties flow back to you through ZAIKS. Ensure your works are registered before international release to avoid missing collection windows.

ZAIKS also advocates for creators' rights in legislative discussions, particularly around AI regulation and copyright reform. The organization's 2025 TDM opt-out means your works in ZAIKS's repertoire are protected against unauthorized AI training, giving you legal recourse if AI companies use your music without permission.

Related Resources

• Performing Rights Organizations (PRO) - What a PRO is and how it functions
• Performance Royalties - How performance royalties are generated and collected
• Collective Management Organization (CMO) - How CMOs operate globally
• Copyright - Understanding copyright protection for musical works
• AI Music Generation - How AI is changing music creation and copyright
• ZAIKS Official Website - Visit ZAIKS for membership and licensing information
• Read our PRO Comparison Guide to understand how PROs differ globally
• Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to estimate your digital earnings