Businesses using background music will have to pay more

In bars, restaurants, cafes, shops and office premises, background music is often played; it attracts visitors and creates a shopping mood in them. It was previously necessary to pay for the use of music, but usually entrepreneurs used so-called rights-sensitive music (rechten-inclusieve muziek). This is music whose rights were purchased by an intermediary who allowed it to be played for free or for a small fee. Now this won't happen. Why? 

An increase in payments will cause a change in the policy of the Fund's company on the use of related rights - Sena. Since 1993, this organization has been appointed by the government to collect funds from music entrepreneurs and distribute them to copyright holders. Often, Sena automatically manages the rights of music creators, even if they are not registered with the fund. Sena believes that the author and/or performer of music cannot simply sell or assign their rights, as more and more people work on the creation of a musical product, and their rights must also be protected.

Previously, there were intermediaries who obtained the rights and provided the music product for free or for a small fee. Sena itself also did not charge fees for broadcasting music by little-known authors and/or performers.  

From January 1, 2024, Sena plans to collect payments from all music recipients. True, entrepreneurs will also have access to the most popular music. The foundation claims this is simply enforcement of the law. Since 1993, Sena has been the only organization authorized to collect and distribute royalties from musicians and performers in the Netherlands. In 2020, this right was confirmed by the Supreme Court of the Netherlands. Sena intends to bring legal liability to entrepreneurs who refuse to pay. 

Critics say it's a pressure to pay and believe that in many cases the authors and/or performers will not receive any money. However, entrepreneurs are already assuming that they will have to pay several times more for music. 

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