FAQ about MySAMI
When is the next disbursement?
SAMI makes four regular disbursements a year. They take place in the following months:
- March
- June
- September
- December
I found an error on a submitted recording list. What do I do now?
Contact our Member Services and tell us which song or album it is and what went wrong, and we will help you correct it. After the recording list has been submitted, you can only make certain additions, you do this inside your discography on My Pages. You can add more participants to a song, add ISRC code or song length if this information is missing.
How much money do I get when my song is played on the radio?
Your remuneration is calculated from several factors such as role codes, number of minutes played and the total amount of money SAMI collected during the year. Therefore we cannot say, or even guess, in advance how much money you will get for your song. It depends on how much your song has been played and how much money we can collect.
Do I have the right to vote at SAMI’s general meeting?
Anyone who has participated in a recording can join SAMI. If you also want to become a member with voting rights at SAMI’s general meeting, you need to apply for this separately.
To become a member with voting rights you need to be a SAMI member and have received at least two remuneration payouts from us. You must also be the holder of the rights yourself. This means you can not become a member with voting rights if you for example only have inherited rights.
If you meet these requirements, you are welcome to apply by sending us a written application, signed and witnessed, by post. Decisions on membership with voting rights are made by the board at the next board meeting.
Do all my tracks appear in the discography?
Previously we’ve had a problem with not all tracks being displayed, but in our latest update we fixed this! Now you should be able to see all your recordings registered with us in your discography.
I submitted a recording list but it doesn’t appear in my discography
Sometimes we need to review a recording list manually to make sure everything gets registered correctly. When this happens it might take a while before your recoding list appears in your discography.
Can I edit the information on a recording?
Yes, some of the information can be changed. For example, you can add ISRC code if it is missing, update the length of a track or switch between your name and your pseudonym on a track. You cannot edit the details of other performers already listed on the recording, but you can add performers if someone is missing.
Why do some tracks have an orange dot?
An orange mark means that we suspect that a participant is missing from the recording list. If you know they are, you can add them yourself so that everyone gets their SAMI money.
How do I download a CSV file?
To download the file, simply click on ”Download the discography as CSV”. Once you have downloaded the file, you can sort it in a spreadsheet program, such as Excel. To sort the file in Excel, do the following:
- Open Excel and create an empty workbook.
- Go to File and under the tab Data click on ”From text / CSV”.
- Locate the CSV file you downloaded from My Pages. Select the file and Import.
- When the help box opens, change File Origin to “Unicode UTF-8” and Delimiter to Tab.
- Click Load and your discography is sorted!
Is it too late to report a song from 2017?
SAMI has a ten-year statute of limitations for songs played in Sweden, so you can definitely submit recording lists for ”old” songs.
Collecting societies in other countries, however, have their own rules and the limitation period is often between three and five years. This means that you can get the Swedish remuneration for an ”old” song if it has been played, but that the opportunity to claim your remuneration from other countries may be lost.
I have millions of streams on Spotify. Where is my money?
As the legislation stands today, SAMI has no rights to collect for either Spotify, YouTube or any other streaming services. Therefore we can neither collect money nor play reports for music streaming. Our department for public affairs is working to influence politicians and decision-makers and we hope to see changes in the legislation in the future.
How do I resign from SAMI?
If you no longer want us to collect the remuneration for your songs, you can resign from SAMI. You must terminate your agreement in writing. We apply a notice period of six months and the notice is calculated from the date it arrives to us.
What is an ISRC code?
ISRC is an abbreviation for International Standard Recording Code. An ISRC code is a unique code that all recordings must be provided with, much like a social security number. The code enables the identification of songs and a song always retains the same code even if it is reused on, for example, a compilation album. If the song is re-recorded, this is counted as a new recording and given a new ISRC number.
The ISRC code follows an international standard consisting of twelve letters and numbers in combination. It consists of twelve alphanumeric characters that identify:
• Country of origin for rightholders
• Company code
• Recording year
• Recording number and track identity
How do I report a song recorded outside of Sweden?
If you have performed on a recording abroad, you must ensure that we receive documentation that confirms this in order to be able to collect your remuneration. In order for us to claim your remuneration from other collecting societies, we need as much information as possible about the recording.
You need to fill in a form for recording abroad and take a copy of the cover to prove you are performing on the recording. Send us an email with the information, and if you have any further questions on the topic, please contacts us at medlemsservice@sami.se
How do you know which music has been played?
We regularly receive play reports from radio and television about what music is played in their channels. We also receive reports from DJs all over the country, showing what is being played at discos and nightclubs. The Swedish Authors’ Fund (Författarfonden) also provides us with information about which phonograms have been lent out at Swedish libraries.
But if every single business that plays music at their premises would report every single song to us, there would be unmanageable amounts of data to handle, for them and for us. Instead, we ask the research institute SIFO to conduct a survey for us every year. This gives us the general information on what is being played in public all over the country. When we know what music they play in, for example, shops, restaurants, hotels and gyms, we add this information to the rest of our play reports. Together, all these sources give us a pretty good picture of what music has been played and helps us distribute the collected remuneration as fairly as possible.
I can’t find all my recordings
If recordings or albums are missing from your discography, you can fill out a recording list.
Hittar du inget svar?
- 08 453 34 00
- info@sami.se