FAQ Music Creators

You are a music creator if you have been involved in a record or CD recording or commercial download as a musician (e.g. soloist, band member, session musician, choir or orchestra member, or conductor) or producer. Under the Neighbouring Rights Act, you are entitled to remuneration if your recording has been performed in public or broadcast on radio and/or television.

Musicians, producers, intermediaries, and heirs can register with Sena free of charge if your music has been played in public and you are entitled to remuneration.

The only costs charged by Sena are administrative costs when we pay you remuneration for your registered and played tracks.

You can register with Sena via the link below:

Register with Sena

If you release your own music, you are not only a musician but also a producer. Therefore, you should also register with Sena as a producer. This means you need to register with Sena twice: once as a musician and once as a producer. You will then receive remuneration as both a musician and a producer when your music is played on radio or television.

If you are a producer (owner of the master tape, financially and ultimately responsible), you can request a master owner code for the ISRC from Sena free of charge.

The International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) is a digital fingerprint for producers' repertoire. It is a unique identification number for each individual recording. The ISRC has been developed to give you control over the use of your work.

Fill in all the details on this page. The producer will receive a one-time master owner code, which can be used to create an infinite number of ISRCs for tracks for which you are the master owner, both for audio and audiovisual. The assigned master owner code does not need to be reapplied for per label, main artist, or album.

For more information about the ISRC and how to apply for one, please visit the ISRC page.

As a producer, you can apply for a master owner code for the ISRC free of charge from Sena via the website. You will receive this master owner code by email, along with an explanation of what an ISRC looks like and how you can apply the code. It will be assigned to you as the producer. With this master owner code, which you apply for once, you can create an infinite number of ISRCs for the tracks to which you hold the master rights.

In practice, distributors sometimes issue ISRC codes. As a producer, you can enter this ISRC code in the (mandatory) field when registering your repertoire in MySena. However, we always advise producers to apply for their own master owner code.

To log in, go to MySena and enter your Sena number and password. If you have a login problem and, for example, you have lost your Sena number or forgotten your password, follow the steps below the login fields.

Sena app

In the Sena app, you can log in in four different ways: with your Sena number and password, with a 5-digit code that you set yourself, or with facial recognition (Face ID) or your fingerprint (Touch ID). You can set this up under ‘Settings’ in the hamburger menu.

Once your track has been registered in MySena, we match the track details with the details of the radio/TV stations on the playlists we have received from our fingerprint supplier Soundaware. Does your repertoire appear on these playlists? If so, we will process the playback data and your repertoire claim.

An amount is reserved for tracks that appear on the playlists. We call this a reserved amount because it can change until the moment of payment. Sena pays out the royalties four times a year, at the end of March, June, September, and December. We add up all the royalties for the quarter and pay them out if your net royalty is at least €5.00. Gross reserved amounts are listed in MySena behind the track in the repertoire overview. In MySena and in the Sena app, you can view your current balance—the gross amount reserved for you for the next payment—at any time.

Tracks that have not been played and therefore do not appear on the playlists remain in your repertoire overview in MySena. Their status remains ‘track added’.

When registering your repertoire, you cannot mention other (session) musicians who also contributed to the recording. Each musician must add the tracks under their own musician account in MySena. However, it is possible to share the tracks you have registered with fellow musicians who collaborated on the recording. You can do this by clicking on the track in your repertoire overview and then clicking on “share.”

Musicians and producers receive money from Sena when their music is played in public. We carefully determine who is entitled to what. We compare the playlists of radio and TV stations with the repertoire data in our database. We then calculate the correct remuneration and pay it out. If a particular musician or producer is not yet registered with us, we reserve their remuneration for a maximum of three years. During that time, we actively search for the person or organization.

A double claim occurs when at least two producers claim the same artist/track/version for the same period and the combined royalty percentage exceeds 100%. When a double claim is created, all funds are blocked for payment until it is clear who the rightful master owner is.

Producers can handle double claims in MySena under Tasks/Double claims. You will automatically be taken to the overview of double claims with the status “pending.” Click on a track to view the details of the double claim. Under “Progress per claimant,” you can confirm (check mark), withdraw (cross), or edit (pencil) your claim. The double claim also contains the contact details of the other claiming producer(s) with whom you can contact to reach a solution. If you are allowed to claim the rights for a limited period, it is important to fill in the start and end dates with your claim. The rights percentage can also be changed via ‘edit’ if the rights are divided among several producers. You can find a complete help text by clicking on the question mark in the blue bar.

In the case of regular double claims (status: pending or done), all claiming producers must reach a solution among themselves. Sena is not a party to this.

If a double claim remains open for more than 3 months and has a value of more than €1,000, the double claim will be escalated. You have 3 months to upload evidence to MySena proving that you hold the producer rights. Based on the evidence provided, Sena's legal department will assess whether the claim is justified. This also depends on whether the other claiming producer(s) also provide evidence. Sena will make a decision on the outstanding double claim within two months. If the legal department is unable to reach a decision because the evidence is missing or incomplete, the double claim will be removed from the escalation process and the track will be returned to a new regular double claim.

Please note that any reserved payments will remain blocked for payment until the double claim has been settled and resolved by all claimants. It is possible that the producer to whom the claim is due has already received a payment for the track. In that case, a lower payment or no payment may be made than is shown for the track, because this amount has already been received.

Sena claims the repertoire registered by producers abroad on the basis of the rights per title per country confirmed by the producer. This prevents duplicate claims at our sister organizations abroad and ensures that the reserved fees for this are not unnecessarily blocked for payment.

When you register a track in MySena, you first enter the track details and then confirm the foreign rights in the next step. You may have given Sena a worldwide mandate, but only have the rights for the Benelux for a particular title. Or you may be able to claim a track in a particular country with a specific start and end date or a shared rights percentage. You can confirm this when registering the track in MySena.

If you have a regional mandate with Sena, you can add countries in the rights per title per country, but Sena will then automatically collect only for you in the Netherlands. If you are not allowed to claim rights abroad for a particular track, you can also indicate this.

For tracks that you have registered in the past where the rights per title per country were not yet part of the repertoire registration, you can still confirm the foreign rights.

More information about mandates

We would be happy to welcome you as a new rights holder. You can register online here. It is not possible to register via the Sena app or from your mobile phone.

For performing artists/musicians:

After completing the online registration, you will receive the exploitation agreement by email. Sign the exploitation agreement (a digital signature is also permitted) and upload all pages of the signed exploitation agreement, together with a copy of a valid proof of identity, via MySena. If not all required documents are uploaded, the registration cannot be processed.

Your citizen service number (BSN) and passport photo do not need to be visible. You may black these out if you wish.
After identification, Sena destroys the copy of your passport or identity card. However, you are required to enter your BSN during registration. 

For producers:

After completing the online registration, you will receive the exploitation agreement by email. The person authorised to sign must sign the exploitation agreement.

Upload all pages of the signed exploitation agreement, together with a digitally certified extract from the Chamber of Commerce that is no more than 3 months old and includes the name of the owner (when registering as a legal entity), or a copy of a valid proof of identity (when registering as a natural person).

If there are several authorised signatories, the agreement must be signed by 2 people.

If not all required documents are uploaded, the registration cannot be processed.

An authorised signatory is a legally valid representative who is authorised to sign certain documents or perform other legal acts. The Chamber of Commerce Trade Register shows who is authorised to sign and whether any restrictions apply to that signing authority.

If you want to register as a rights holder via the Sena website, but receive a message that the registration has been rejected due to an existing account, please contact the Service Desk by email or telephone. For verification purposes, you will be asked for your date of birth.

As an intermediary (representative), you can register a rights holder you wish to represent via your intermediary account in MySena.

If you want to register a new rights holder and add them to your intermediary account, after logging in to your account click “Register rights holder” in the top left. Fill in all required details for the rights holder.

After the registration has been completed, you will receive the exploitation agreement by email. Sign this exploitation agreement (a digital signature is also permitted) and upload all pages of the signed exploitation agreement, together with the signed power of attorney and a copy of a valid proof of identity of the rights holder, via MySena.

If not all required documents are uploaded, the registration cannot be processed.

The citizen service number (BSN) and passport photo do not need to be visible. You may black these out if you wish.
After identification, Sena destroys the copy of the passport or identity card. However, it is mandatory to enter the BSN during registration.

As an intermediary (representative), you can register an existing rights holder you wish to represent via your intermediary account in MySena. 

To add an existing rights holder to your intermediary account, after logging in to MySena, click “Register rights holder” in the top left. Fill in all required details for the rights holder. In the final step, a message will appear stating that an existing rights holder has been found and that a representation request process has been started. You can complete this process under “Representation requests” under accounts in MySena, next to “Register rights holder”. It is important that the signed power of attorney and a copy of a valid proof of identity of the rights holder are uploaded during this process.

The citizen service number (BSN) and passport photo do not need to be visible. You may black these out if you wish.
After identification, Sena destroys the copy of your passport or identity card. However, it is mandatory to enter your BSN during registration.

If you are a DJ/producer or electronic musician and you create your own music in a DAW (digital audio workstation), then for Sena you are considered a performing artist. You should register as a performing artist and not as a producer. According to the definition we use, a producer is the record company that is financially and ultimately responsible for the recording and owns the master tape.

Own label?
If you have your own label and release your music independently on that label, then you are both a performing artist and a producer. In this case, you should register with Sena as both a performing artist and a producer (record company/label). You will then receive two accounts: a musician account and a producer account, and you will be paid through both accounts when your music is played in public.

You can easily link your musician and producer accounts once both have been activated.

Yes, you can. The exploitation agreement must be signed by the person for whom the registration is being submitted. If you wish to claim remuneration as an heir, you can register with Sena as an “Heir”.

In some cases, you may also receive neighbouring rights remuneration from your master owner, for example for on-demand use. On-demand refers to anything where the public can choose which song they want to listen to, such as Spotify or YouTube.

Sena does not have the mandate or the right to collect for this and therefore cannot pass on any remuneration for it: this is the exclusive right of the producers, and they collect for it.

The income Sena receives from licence fees is divided 50/50 between producers and performing musicians. The fact that you already receive part of your neighbouring rights remuneration from your producer does not mean that you are registered with Sena as a performing musician. So, if you are a musician, you should always register with Sena in order to receive remuneration for the share we have reserved for performing musicians.

If you release music yourself on your own (dance) label, you are not only a musician but also a producer. If you do not use your own specific label name, you can create the following self-release label: SELF-RELEASED/(Your producer name). When you register your repertoire in MySena, you can enter this label name in the label field and select the label by clicking it in the drop-down menu that appears below the field.

Sena does not have a legal mandate to collect remuneration for on-demand music. That right belongs exclusively to the producer, or music company. They therefore enter into agreements directly with on-demand music providers such as iTunes, Deezer, Spotify and YouTube.

As a music maker, we understand that you may have questions about the Spotify income stream.

Sena does not have a legal mandate to collect and pay out remuneration for on-demand music. That right belongs exclusively to the producer, or master owner. They therefore enter into agreements directly with on-demand music providers such as iTunes, Deezer, Spotify and YouTube.

If you release music yourself, you are not only a musician but also a producer. That is why you should also register with Sena as a producer. You can choose to register as a natural person or as a legal entity. You will then have two accounts with Sena, which you can link together at a later stage.

You will also receive remuneration as a producer if your music has been played on radio or television.

The amount of money you receive from us differs per track. This depends, among other things, on the number of minutes the track has been played. The number of musicians who contributed to the track is also important. After registering the track, you can see in your repertoire overview in MySena which gross amount has been reserved for a track.

Distribution of funds
For each track, 50% of the remuneration goes to the musicians and 50% to the producer. We then distribute the 50% that goes to the musicians who played on the track based on a points system. In this calculation example (Dutch) you can see exactly how the points system works. A detailed description of the distribution and the points system can be found in our distribution regulations (Dutch) (page 5, article 7).

Minute value
To give you an idea of approximately how much a minute is worth, you can find a minute value overview per station and broadcast moment here. This overview relates to music year 2022.

Sena processes play data from many national and regional radio and television stations. For cost reasons, we do not process the playlists of all radio and television stations. If you have not yet received remuneration for your music played on one of the stations on the list, then we have not yet received or processed those play data. We will pay the remuneration to you later.

You will see a correction amount on your settlement statement if we have had to offset an amount.
There may be several reasons for the offset. Below we explain what those reasons may be:

1.    We have reclaimed an amount that was previously paid out incorrectly. This is permitted under article 11 (producers) or article 13 (performing artists) of the distribution regulations, which state: Sena is entitled to reclaim amounts paid out incorrectly within five years of payment, or offset them against future payments.

2.    A track is no longer rights-bearing because the producer’s country has changed.

3.    There has been a change in the claim, for example because the claim was previously awarded incorrectly.

4.    The so-called distribution key has changed, for example because additional rights holders who contributed to the track have become known.

5.    Balances may also be temporarily negative/show a negative amount, for example because we have already processed the number of minutes your track was played, but not yet the remuneration linked to the playlist for your track.

For producers, the “label” field is mandatory when registering repertoire. If you own a specific label, or exclusively represent a label, you can easily create/register this label name yourself in MySena in your producer account.

Musicians who release repertoire independently but do not use a specific label name can create the following label: SELF-RELEASED/(producer name). 

Please note: you should not register third-party labels in your label overview. 

Creating/registering a label in your label overview works as follows:

·         Log in to MySena

·         Click “Repertoire” in the menu on the left and then click “Labels”

·         Click “Register/claim label +”

·         Enter the label name

·         Enter the start date (the date on which you first released repertoire on your label or independently, or the start date and, if applicable, end date of the exclusive licence deal)

·         Click “Save”

To create/register several labels at once, choose the “Import labels +” option. You can download the example for a short explanation of which details should be entered in which field. You can then download the form, enter the labels with start dates (and, if applicable, end dates), save the file and upload it by clicking “Choose a file”. Then click “Done”.

In MySena, producers can add a label to their label list if they own that label or exclusively represent it. After logging in to MySena, click “Repertoire” on the left side of the page and then click “Labels”. To add a label, click “Register/claim label”, enter the label name and start date, and click “Save”. To add labels in bulk, choose the “Import labels” option, after which you can download, save and upload the form.

If you no longer own a particular label or no longer exclusively represent a label, you can add an end date to the registered label by clicking “edit”. Do not forget to also add an end date to the repertoire you registered under that label under “Repertoire”. The new producer can then register the repertoire with a start date.

The “Label” field is not mandatory when registering repertoire in your musician account. This field is only mandatory for producers. So if you do not know the label on which the track you played or sang on was released, you can leave the field blank. If you do know the label and it appears in our label list, you can of course enter it.

The studio producer is responsible for the recording session, supervises the recording in the studio and ensures that it is completed. The studio producer’s tasks include scheduling studio recording time and making final decisions.

The producer is financially and ultimately responsible for the recording and owns the master tape.

A main artist is a permanent member of the band, ensemble or act and/or a soloist with an artist contract, excluding session musicians or conductors. The main artist is listed on streaming services such as Spotify or iTunes, or on the front of the artwork of a physical sound carrier.

Your role may also be visible in the contract you signed. Make clear agreements in advance about neighbouring rights and which role you may claim.

The number of members of the main artist means every permanent band member and/or soloist with an artist contract who contributed to the recording. According to our definition, a featuring artist is also considered a main artist.

For example: artist X and artist Y are both main artists; the number of members to be entered when registering the repertoire is therefore 2.

If you are a permanent member of a band, for example a band consisting of 4 members, you enter 4 as the number of permanent members. Session musicians should not be counted here.

This has to do with the distribution key we use to pay the remuneration you receive. Each main artist receives 5 points and each session musician receives 1 point per instrument, with a maximum of 3 points.

Example:
Suppose the income from a track is €2,200. Then 50% goes to the producer and 50% is distributed among the musicians, i.e. €1,100. If there are 2 main artists and 1 session musician, making a total of 11 points, €500 is paid to each main artist and €100 to the session musician. (Session musicians can never receive more than 50% of the income.)

If you collaborate with another artist on a track, you are both main artists on that track. Register the repertoire in MySena exactly as it is listed online. When registering the track, enter both names in the “Name of the main artist” field, for example: artist X & artist Y or artist X feat. artist Y.

It is not possible to add the other artist’s claim when registering repertoire in your own musician account. However, you can share the repertoire with the other artist using the sharing function in MySena.

According to our definition, a featuring artist is considered a main artist. The same applies to musicians/artists who have made a remix and whose artist name is mentioned in the remix. When registering a track with a featuring artist, this must be stated in the “name of main artist” field. Do not put it in brackets after the track title, otherwise the repertoire will not match the play data.

As a session musician, you can register proof of participation by downloading a proof of repertoire participation form from our website and having it signed by the producer, main artist or studio producer. We also accept album or CD artwork, a Discogs entry or a link to the track on, for example, iTunes as proof. It is only valid proof if it states whether you played an instrument or were a session musician on a track. It is important that your name is mentioned.

Proof that you are a permanent member of a registered band must include the name of the band and your own name. This may be the back cover of an album showing which band members participate in the band, but a screenshot from the internet listing the band members is also sufficient. Confirmation from the producer (master owner), with a signature, is also acceptable. However, the producer may not be the same person who registers the participation.

Automatic identification
Make sure that the name of the main artist(s) and the track are exactly the same as the repertoire you registered. This increases the chance of automatic identification with the supplied playlists. 

No proof required for participation
If your artist name and/or band/ensemble is registered under your participations, you do not need to provide proof as a main artist. Your participation will then be validated automatically. If you are registered as a main artist under participations, no proof is required.

Participations are permanent memberships of a band, formation, ensemble or main artist.

You can add your artist name or the band/ensemble of which you are a permanent member to your musician account in MySena. 

If you are the main artist and your artist name is registered under your participations, you no longer need to upload proof when registering a track. In step 2 (add proof), you will then receive a message stating that your participation has been validated automatically.

How do I add a participation in my account?

- Log in to MySena

- Click “Repertoire” in the menu on the left

- Click “Participations”

- Click “Add participation”

Then follow the steps described in the help text. Proof that you are a permanent member of a registered band, or proof of your artist name, must include the band name or your artist name and your own name.

Our aim is to pay on the remuneration we collect as quickly and accurately as possible, at the lowest possible cost. From the March 2024 payment onwards, we will apply a deduction percentage of 10% to rights holders for music use from music year 2024 onwards. This relates to the funds we collect in the Netherlands. In recent years, the deduction percentage was 11% for 2023, 14.5% for 2021 and 2022, and 12% for the other open years. 

From 2021 onwards, we will withhold 5.5% from income received from foreign sister organisations. For earlier years, this was 4% (EU and EFTA countries) or 6% (rest of the world).

Production music is music used to identify and/or frame a programme or station on radio or television. Sena applies a 25% reduction to the payment for music use that falls under the definition of production music. For the distribution (or payment) of funds collected from hospitality venues, music used as production music is removed from the playlists.

When this repertoire is registered by the producer/master owner, it is rights-bearing from that same year. When registering repertoire via MySena or the Sena app, you must indicate at track level that the music category is production music. When production music is registered, Sena carries out an additional check on the commercial availability of the music, as confirmed by the producer.
In accordance with the exploitation agreement agreed between a rights holder and Sena, rights holders are required to register repertoire with Sena correctly and completely. If a rights holder knows that their music is used as production music, it is important to register it as such when submitting it in MySena. If repertoire/use is not registered correctly with Sena, the rights holder is acting in breach of the exploitation agreement and other rights holders are disadvantaged. 

It is also important that the track fully matches the track as listed on the playlist, so that it can be processed automatically.

Commercially available
By ticking the declaration when registering production music, you as producer confirm that the track is commercially available. This declaration replaces the former “commercial declaration (comfon)”. In addition to the declaration, you enter the URL of the website showing that the track is commercially available and therefore rights-bearing. 

Recognition of production music
Fingerprint technology and Principal Based Production Music (PBV) are used to recognise music used as production music.

Principal Based Production Music means that the fingerprint supplier (SoundAware) adds a marker to production music when a piece of music has been used as production music. The three “principals” are:

1.    A track registered as production music is settled as such;

2.    A track that is present in all broadcasts of a programme within the reporting period at the start and/or end of the broadcast. For TV stations, the first and last 2 minutes are used; for radio stations, the first and last 6 minutes are used. For TV stations, repeats are also eliminated from this count using episode data. The 2- and 6-minute limits were set partly based on SoundAware’s experience;

3.    The same track used two or more times in the same broadcast is classified as production music. If, after the first time, the same track is played for longer than 2 minutes, it is not classified as production music. This is because sometimes a track is announced before it is actually played.

If you want to register a track in MySena that was specifically created for and used in an advertisement, select the “Commercial” category. The following declaration will then appear: “I hereby declare that the registered repertoire is a commercial phonogram within the meaning of Article 7 of the Dutch Neighbouring Rights Act (this also includes a phonogram made available to the public).”

Commercially available
By ticking the above declaration, you confirm that the track is commercially available. This declaration replaces the former “commercial declaration (comfon)”. In addition to the declaration, you enter the URL of the website showing that the track is commercially available and therefore rights-bearing.

After you have registered as a musician and as a producer and both accounts have been activated, you can link the accounts. This works as follows: after logging in as a musician, click your name in the top right and select “Personal” from the drop-down menu. Then click “link to producer”. Enter the login details for your producer account and click “save”.

If you are registered as both a musician and a producer and you have linked your accounts, when registering your repertoire in both accounts you will see a checkbox next to the sentence “prepare this repertoire in my linked account”. If you leave this selected, the repertoire you register under one account will automatically appear in your other account under “Tasks/Repertoire to be completed”, because we need partly different information from you as a musician than as a producer. When you click “continue”, you can fill in the missing fields and register the repertoire. If you are a musician but not a producer, or vice versa, you can clear the checkbox. If you forgot to do this, you can still delete the copied repertoire in your linked account under “Repertoire to be completed”.

Switching between accounts
If your accounts are linked, you can switch between your accounts by clicking the link icon in the drop-down menu under your name in the top right.

If you organise a national or regional event and would like to apply for financial support, please read the applicable conditions and complete the SoCu application form. More information about our social-cultural funds is available for musicians or producers. Information is Dutch.

Do you want to release your music independently? You can apply for a contribution from the Sena Performers Music Production Fund. Application form is only available in Dutch.

Every year, Sena supports many festivals, events, music recordings and other social-cultural initiatives.

Amounts that we cannot distribute to the rightful rights holders are called “undistributed amounts”. In accordance with Sena’s distribution regulations, the section representatives of the performing artists section and the section representatives of the producers section are authorised to decide on the allocation of these undistributed amounts.

The policy of the producers section is to add undistributed amounts to the funds intended for distribution.

Neighbouring rights are exempt from VAT.

Sena income is taxable for the rights holder for income tax purposes (natural persons/sole proprietorship/general partnership). Sena income for rights holders whose rights are held within a company is taxable for corporate income tax purposes. In concrete terms, this means that your neighbouring rights income is taxed as “income from other activities”. This income falls under Box 1. If questions arise about this, always refer them to your bookkeeper or accountant. They can provide information about the exact tax rules that apply.

Please note: Sena cannot be held responsible for incorrect VAT, income tax or corporate income tax returns. We are also required to report the payments made to rights holders annually to the tax authorities by means of an IB47 form.

You can change your mandate via MySena. After logging in to the portal, click “Musician” or “Company” at the top of the page and go to the “Mandates” tab. After clicking “Add”, you can make and save the changes. Then print the “Mandate change” form and upload the signed form as proof.

Any mandate change must be entered before 1 October of each calendar year, after which the change will take effect on 1 January of the new calendar year.

More information about mandates

If you want to cancel your Sena account, send a signed letter stating your Sena number by email to servicedesk@sena.nl. Prefer to send it by post? That is also possible. Send the letter to: Sena, attn. Relationship Management, Antwoordnummer 1240, 1200 WB Hilversum.

Under article 7 of the exploitation agreement, you can terminate the agreement as of 31 December of each calendar year, subject to a notice period of at least 3 months. The termination will then take effect on 1 January of the following year.

If you are a producer, we recommend uploading a soundfile for every track you add to your repertoire. Make sure the soundfile you upload to us matches the track that is played in public. This is necessary for identifying the playlists we receive. We use these soundfiles to recognise the play data we receive from SoundAware, which tracks all radio playlists using fingerprint technology. As a musician, you cannot upload soundfiles; this is only available to producers. If you release music independently, you can upload the soundfile in your producer account. 

Procedure
This works as follows: click a track in your repertoire overview and then click the “upload soundfile” icon. The help text describes how to upload a soundfile. If you click it and follow the steps described in the help text, you can upload the soundfile.

This soundfile, together with the associated metadata, is sent directly to our fingerprint supplier. 

The soundfile must meet the following requirements:

·        Audio formats .mp2, .mp3, .wav or .m4a

·        2-channel stereo

·        Sample size of at least 16-bit

·        Sample rate: 44 kHz

·        Bitrate of at least 256 kbps

Please note: for a track in the Commercial category, the soundfile of the commercially available phonogram must be uploaded, not the soundfile of the commercial itself. 

If you have uploaded an incorrect soundfile, you can delete it yourself within one week. You can then upload the correct soundfile.

If you want to change the metadata within one week of registering a track, you must first delete the soundfile. After changing the metadata, you can upload the soundfile again.

 Would you like to change the metadata or a soundfile at a later time, or are you having problems uploading a soundfile?

Please contact our Servicedesk by telephone on 035 625 17 80 or by email at servicedesk@sena.nl

For uploading sound files in bulk, the form that can be downloaded in MySena under “Repertoire/Upload sound files” must be used. The form must be selected and uploaded at the same time as the sound files. The number of sound files must match the number of files listed in the form. If these numbers do not match, the following error message will appear: The number of files specified in the Excel file does not match the number of uploaded files.

The file extension, such as .mp3 or .wav, must be added after the file name in the form. Otherwise, the following error message will appear: File xxx does not exist.

If the ISRC of the repertoire line in the form is incorrect, the following error message will appear: The producer does not have repertoire with ISRC NLxxxxxxxxxx on row x.

A duplicate claim arises when at least two producers claim the same artist/track/version for the same period and the combined rights percentage exceeds 100%. When a duplicate claim is created, all funds are blocked for payment until it is clear who the rightful master owner is.

Producers can handle duplicate claims in MySena under Tasks/Duplicate claims. You will automatically be taken to the overview of duplicate claims with the status “to do”. Click on a track there, after which the details of the duplicate claim will become visible. Under “Progress per claimant”, you can confirm your claim again (check mark), withdraw it (cross) or edit it (pencil). In the duplicate claim, you will also find the contact details of the other claiming producer(s), whom you can contact to reach a solution. If you are allowed to claim the rights for a limited period, it is important to enter the start and end date for your claim. The rights percentage can also be changed via “edit” if the rights are divided between several producers. You can find the full help text by clicking the question mark in the blue bar.

For regular duplicate claims (status: to do or done), all claiming producers must come to a solution among themselves. Sena is not a party to this.

If a duplicate claim remains open for more than 3 months and has a value of more than €1,000, the duplicate claim will go into escalation. You have 3 months to upload evidence in MySena showing that the producer rights belong to you. Based on the evidence provided, Sena’s Legal Affairs department will assess whether the claim is justified. This also depends on whether the other claiming producer(s) also provide evidence. Sena will make a decision on the open duplicate claim within 2 months. If the Legal Affairs department cannot reach a decision because evidence is missing or incomplete, the duplicate claim will be removed from the escalation process and the track will return as a new regular duplicate claim. 

Please note that any reserved remuneration will remain blocked for payment until the duplicate claim has been handled and resolved by all claimants. It may be that the producer to whom the claim belongs has already previously received remuneration for the track. In that case, a lower remuneration or no remuneration may be paid than the amount shown for the track, because that amount has already been received.

An annual statement is a financial overview showing your income from neighbouring rights in a given year. You can download an annual overview via MySena.

After logging in to your musician and/or producer account as a natural person, click “Financial” on the left-hand side of the screen, then click “Annual statements”. For producers registered with Sena as a company, it is not possible to download annual statements via MySena. In that case, as a producer (company), you must add up all amounts received in the relevant year and report the total amount to the tax authorities.

An annual statement is only shown if Sena made payments in the relevant year.

We need your BSN because Sena is required by the Dutch Tax Administration to report the amounts paid to you each year, so that the Tax Administration can include them for income tax purposes. The BSN is essential for processing by the Tax Administration. Sena is legally required to cooperate with this. Information about filing your tax return can of course also be found on the Dutch Tax Administration’s website.

Entering your BSN only takes a moment. To do this, log in to MySena and click “Personal” (musician) or “Company” in the drop-down menu under your name in the top right. Click “edit” (the pencil icon) to add your BSN. If you are both a musician and a producer (natural person), you must enter this in both accounts. If it is not possible to enter your BSN online, you can email it to servicedesk@sena.nl or send it to us by post. Please do not forget to include your Sena number(s).

You can request an overview of the repertoire you have registered with Sena as follows:
- Log in to MySena
- Then go to “Repertoire”
- In the blue-green “Repertoire” bar, you will find an arrow on the right-hand side; this is the download icon
- Click it and you can download an overview of your repertoire in Excel.

If your repertoire is used in a feature film and the music has been released commercially (for example, it appears on a website), you can register it with Sena. In the cinema, your music is played as part of the film. This means it reaches a smaller audience, because your music is not played in every auditorium of the cinema. It would therefore need to be established how many people visit the film and how long your music is played.

From a cost-benefit perspective, it is not feasible to investigate this and process cinema playlists. Another factor is that the remuneration we collect from cinemas is relatively low. When registering the repertoire, enter the track name (as shown in the example “Soundtrack….”), then the track title and the other details requested in our system. You must also provide proof, such as a screenshot from Spotify or a link to the webpage where the repertoire is commercially available.

Once you have successfully registered a track, it will appear under Repertoire with the status “track added”. We receive play data from our fingerprint supplier; this data is loaded into our system and matched with the repertoire claims of our rights holders.

We first check the proof, after which the claim can be linked and the remuneration can be paid out during one or more payment rounds per year. Once the repertoire has been linked to the play data, the status “track added” for a played track changes into the gross reserved remuneration for the current open years, including any amounts already paid out.

By clicking on a track and then on “Payments by year”, you can see which remuneration has been reserved and paid out for each open play year.

Three weeks after broadcast, Sena receives the playlists from the Dutch radio and television stations with which Sena has an agreement via SoundAware.

Once we have received the play data for a track, we start processing the repertoire line and, in most cases, the repertoire claim of producers is linked to the play data through an automatic matching process. For musicians’ repertoire, the uploaded proof is checked first, after which the claim is linked if the proof has been approved. 

You can see this in MySena under your registered repertoire, where the status “track added” has been replaced by a gross remuneration amount. This is the gross reserved remuneration for the open years, including remuneration already paid out previously. The amount still to be paid by Sena is then paid to the relevant rights holder during one of our four payment rounds per year, subject to a payment threshold of €5.00.

At Sena, every year on 31 December we determine whether you will have the status of “affiliated member” or “participant” for the following year. We do this to determine whether you are entitled to vote at the annual Meeting of Affiliated Members and whether you can stand for election as an opposing candidate for a nomination seat or as a candidate for an open seat in the Producers or Performing Artists sections.

Explanation of status
Affiliated member: this means that from now on you are entitled to vote because you meet the threshold amount set out in the “Threshold Amounts Regulations”: €100 gross for Performing Artists or €700 gross for Producers over the past three calendar years. If you wish, you may stand for election as an opposing candidate and/or candidate for nomination seats and/or open seats in the sections. 

Participant: this means that you are not entitled to vote because you do not meet the threshold amount set out in the “Threshold Amounts Regulations”: €100 gross for Performing Artists or €700 gross for Producers over the past three calendar years. You cannot stand for election as an opposing candidate and/or candidate for nomination seats and/or open seats in the sections.

Has your artist name changed, or are you going to release music under a different artist name? You can easily add your new artist name in MySena. 

To add your artist name, follow these steps:
- Log in to MySena
- Click “Musician” at the top
- Click the “Artist name” tab
- Add your new artist name.

As a producer, it is now possible to search and claim unidentified music from SoundAware to see whether there are any seconds that can still be claimed by you.

Procedure:

·         In MySena, go to “Played”/“Music still to be identified”, where you will see an overview of open music that has not been identified.

·         In the search bar, you can search for tracks or brands of unidentified music that are known to you.

·         You can search across all radio stations or select a specific radio station from the list.

·         If desired, you can search by start date.

·         Once you have found a track, you can listen to it using the play button.

·         If you want to claim a track, click “Claim” and complete the pre-filled details to finalise the claim.

At the moment, only unidentified music from commercials can be found in the Airplay function. Other music will be added at a later time.

The current gross balance is the total gross reserved amount for the open years. The current gross balance in the Sena app and MySena can sometimes be higher than the payment.

This may be due to the following reasons:

1.    The current gross balance is a gross amount, while the amount paid out is net.

2.    The current balance continues to change after the amount for the payment has been determined. This is because Sena continues processing playlists in the meantime. On the day of the payment, the determined amount expires and a remaining current gross balance may remain. This can be either a positive or negative balance and continues until the next payment round.

If you collaborate with another DJ/producer on one track, you are both main artists on that track. You both register the track as a main artist – the main artist then consists of 2 people.

Sena uses a distribution key to pay the remuneration you receive. Each main artist receives 5 points and each session musician receives 1 point per instrument, with a maximum of 3 points.

An example:
Suppose the income from a track is €2,200. Then 50% goes to the producer and 50% is distributed among the musicians, i.e. €1,100. If there are 2 main artists and 1 session musician, making a total of 11 points, €500 is paid to each main artist and €100 to the session musician. Session musicians can never receive more than 50% of the income.

Sena applies a limitation period of 3 years, which means that you can still collect remuneration for played repertoire from 2023 onwards. Each year, we close a play year; 2023 will be closed on 31 December 2026. Next year, the open years will therefore be 2024 through 2027.

Your musician account with Sena is personal and is registered under your personal name, not under an artist name. Once you have registered and log in to MySena, you can add your artist names in the drop-down menu under your name in the top right. For the registration of tracks by (session) musicians, proof is requested showing that you played or sang on the recording. Sena asks all musicians to provide proof showing that you actually contributed to that track. 

We also recommend adding this alias under Repertoire/Participations if you are the main artist or a permanent member of a band/ensemble. After your participation has been processed, you no longer need to upload proof in the second step of your repertoire registration using exactly the same artist name/participation; your participation will then be validated automatically.

This depends on the contract you signed. What does it say? Make clear agreements about neighbouring rights in advance. If you are allowed to claim as a main artist, you should also register this with Sena as a main artist. If you have agreed that you may claim as a session musician, then register your track as a session musician.

A remix may possibly contain no original tracks or samples from the original; in that case, it is a new performance of a composition (cover). As a result, the original main artist may not be able to claim neighbouring rights. Make clear agreements about this.

Yes, we recommend registering all the work you release with Sena. Each version is a different version that could potentially be played, for example by radio stations. If your extended mix is played on Slam, for example, and you have not registered it with Sena, you will not receive remuneration for it.

To prevent money that belongs to you from being left unclaimed, we also recommend checking missing claims in MySena at least once a year.

When an artist/producer creates and records a beat, you have recording A.
This recording A is registered with Sena by the artist/producer and receives an ISRC code.

The musician who buys the beat on a website (from the artist/producer) processes it – for example by adding a melody, musical arrangement, vocals or lyrics – into recording B.
This recording B is registered with Sena by the DJ/producer or their record company and receives a different ISRC. 

The track with the ISRC that will be played in the Netherlands (in cafés, clubs, festivals, on TV, etc.) is most likely not the version with only the beat, recording A, but the version by the DJ/producer, recording B.

With fingerprinting, recording A will in any case not be recognised if recording B is played. 

This means that the DJ/producer must make agreements about their neighbouring rights when entering into the sales agreement/licence. They can stipulate that they receive a percentage of the neighbouring rights as a musician and/or producer. 

The person who then registers recording B with Sena takes those agreements into account and gives the artist/producer the correct credit. Alternatively, the artist/producer does this themselves – if they are aware of recording B – and claims the agreed percentage. In fact, registering recording A is therefore not useful.

Under the Dutch Neighbouring Rights Act that we administer, a producer is the natural person or legal entity that first makes, or has made, a phonogram and bears the investment risk for the production of that phonogram. As Sena, we cannot assess whether you as a DJ/producer are also the producer. This depends on the actual circumstances and on the precise role that the DJ/producer and the record company releasing the recording each had in relation to a track. You can seek legal advice about this if you need to.

At Sena, you are registered under your personal name, not under an artist name.
Log in to MySena and you can add the name under which you perform the music as a ghost producer under your participations.

Sena’s points distribution system does not work the same way in other countries.
However, in international exchange we do use the roles of main artist and session musician.

VRDB is an international database containing all musicians’ repertoire. This international database is intended to make the exchange of play data easier. What is the line-up of a track, and who are the rights holders? This system is an initiative of SCAPR, the umbrella organisation for musicians’ neighbouring rights organisations.

RDx is a similar international database, but for producers.

If you want to delete repertoire, click the track in your repertoire overview and then click the “delete” icon. It is not possible to delete repertoire in bulk. In that case, follow the steps below:

1.    Send an email to servicedesk@sena.nl with an export from MySena containing the repertoire you want to have deleted.

2.    Sena will then remove the tracks from the repertoire and you will find them under “Rejected repertoire”.

3.    Under “Rejected repertoire”, you can delete the tracks all at once using the trash can icon.

Sena only collects for the use of pre-recorded music, in other words sound recordings or commercial phonograms. NORMA is the designated organization for all other music use on television. For more information, please visit www.stichtingnorma.nl.

Sena collects remuneration for the use of commercial phonograms in linear television broadcasts in the Netherlands. An overview of the channels on which the payment is based can be found here.

You can quickly and easily change your bank details online yourself via MySena.

Log in to your musician and/or producer account and click “Personal” (musician) or “Company” (producer) in the drop-down menu. You will arrive at the page where you can change your bank details using the pencil icon. 

Please note: after changing your bank details, you must upload proof in the next step. 

This proof may be a photo or scan of the front and back of your bank card, or a bank statement showing your signature, the name of the account holder and the new bank account number. If this is not possible, a signed letter stating your Sena number and the new bank details is also acceptable. In that case, Sena may carry out additional checks. 

After the financial administration department has checked and approved the bank change, you will receive confirmation by email.

When registered repertoire is rejected, these rejected tracks can be found in MySena under “Tasks” under “Rejected repertoire”. A brief description of the reason for rejection is provided there. Depending on the reason, the track can then be deleted or edited using “Continue” if, after a change, it needs to be added to the repertoire again.

After logging in to MySena, you can edit your registered repertoire yourself by clicking the track in your repertoire overview and then clicking the “edit” icon. 

If you are a producer and you have uploaded the soundfile for the track you want to edit, first click “delete soundfile”. The “edit” icon will then reappear. After changing the track details, you can upload the soundfile again. It will be sent from MySena directly to SoundAware with the updated metadata.

As a producer, it is possible to change the start and/or end date and/or rights percentage in bulk. To do this, click the pencil on the right-hand side of the repertoire overview bar.

If you are missing income for a particular track, this may be due to the absence of the sound file, meaning SoundAware was unable to identify the music, or could not identify it fully. 

If you are a producer, we recommend uploading a sound file for every track you have added to your repertoire. Make sure the sound file you upload to us matches the track that is played in public. As a musician, you cannot upload sound files; this is only possible for producers. As a musician, you can contact the producer and ask them to upload the sound file.

For both musicians and producers, we recommend checking proposed repertoire in MySena under “Tasks” and missing claims under “Played”. You can claim the track there and link it to your registered repertoire, or claim it as a new track. 

If there is ultimately still missing income or a missing remuneration for a particular track, you can submit a comment. You can do this by completing the format below in full and emailing it to servicedesk@sena.nl. Do this no later than three months after payment, after receipt of the specification of an announced payment, or after the year of distribution, and include a clear explanation. 

Please note: a comment relating to the absence of, or a difference of, 10 seconds or less per broadcast moment will not be processed.

If you are missing income for a particular track, as a producer you should check whether you have confirmed the foreign rights (RPTPL) for the countries from which you are missing income. If you are a musician, first check whether you have granted Sena a mandate for the country from which you are missing income. Please note: if you have an R mandate with Sena, we only collect for you in the Netherlands, not abroad.

For an overview of the countries for which Sena has made agreements with various foreign neighbouring rights organisations, click here. The limitation period differs per foreign sister organisation, but in general a period of 3 years applies.

If you recently confirmed the foreign rights, this still needs to be included in the various repertoire exchanges and updates with the foreign neighbouring rights organisations. If, 1.5 years after registering your repertoire in MySena, you still have not received any remuneration from abroad, complete the format below and email it to servicedesk@sena.nl

A comment is a notification showing that you disagree with the amount of remuneration paid by Sena, the registered claims or other matters relating to the repertoire you have registered. It is also possible that part of the remuneration is missing.

Submit a comment no later than three months after payment, after the specification of an announced payment has been sent, or after the year of distribution, and include a clear explanation. You can find all information on our website.

If logging in does not work, there may be several reasons.

Forgotten password: On the MySena login page, choose “Forgot password” and then enter your Sena number and email address. You will then receive an email with a link to create a new password; this link is valid for 2 hours. Make sure you enter the email address with which you are registered at Sena. 

Sena number unknown: Go to the MySena login page and choose “Forgot Sena number”. There you can enter your email address and the last 4 digits of your mobile number. These details must fully match the details with which you are registered at Sena. 

It is also possible that you are represented by an intermediary who has handled, or still handles, the administration for you. In that case, please contact the intermediary.

In the Sena app, you can choose one of 4 different ways to log in:

1.    With your Sena number and password.

2.    With a 5-digit code you have set yourself.

3.    With facial recognition (Face ID).

4.    With your fingerprint (Touch ID).

You can manage this under “Settings” in the app. 

If you have forgotten your password, you cannot change it in the Sena app itself. Click “Forgot password” and you will be redirected to the MySena login page.

On the MySena login page, choose “Forgot password” and then enter your Senanumber and email address. You will then receive an email with a link to create a new password; this link is valid for 2 hours. Make sure you enter the email address with which you are registered at Sena. If this email address is outdated or no longer in use, please contact our Servicedesk by telephone on 035-6251780, via chat or by email at servicedesk@sena.nl.

If you use the Sena app and have forgotten your password, you cannot change it in the Sena app itself. Click “Forgot password” and you will be redirected to the MySena login page, where you can follow the steps above.

In the case of an inactive producer, for example due to bankruptcy where no trustee has come forward, or a deceased producer for whom no heir is known, an open duplicate claim cannot be resolved by the other party and the remuneration remains blocked for payment.

To still reach a solution, the active claiming producer can email evidence supporting the claim to servicedesk@sena.nl. This evidence will be handled by our Legal Affairs department. If approved, the claim can be awarded to the active producer and any reserved remuneration will be included in the next payment round.

If you are not sure whether you are registered with Sena, whether your registration has been fully processed, or which email address you are registered with, please contact our Servicedesk by telephone on 035-6251780, via chat or by email at servicedesk@sena.nl.

A registration may be rejected for various reasons. In that case, new documents must be uploaded in MySena. The most common reasons for rejection are listed below.

 Musician registration:

·         The exploitation agreement has not been signed.

·         Not all pages of the exploitation agreement have been uploaded.

·         The proof of identity has not been uploaded.

·         The proof of identity is no longer valid.

·         The musician has already granted a mandate to a sister organisation abroad, creating a mandate conflict.

·         The Sena number on the first page of the exploitation agreement does not match the Sena number of the account in which the agreement is being uploaded (if you are registering as both a producer and a musician).

·         The additional signature of a parent/guardian is missing from the registration of a minor musician.

Producer registration:

·         The exploitation agreement has not been signed.

·         Not all pages of the exploitation agreement have been uploaded.

·         The proof of identity has not been uploaded.

·         The proof of identity is no longer valid.

·         The Sena number on the first page of the exploitation agreement does not match the Sena number of the account in which the agreement is being uploaded (if you are registering as both a producer and a musician).

·         No digitally certified extract from the Chamber of Commerce has been provided (applicable when registering as a company).

·         The extract from the Chamber of Commerce is more than 3 months old (applicable when registering as a company).

·         The extract from the Chamber of Commerce shows a different organisation as the director (applicable when registering as a company).

·         For a general partnership or private limited company with more than one director, where the directors are jointly or partly authorised, at least two signatures must be included on the exploitation agreement (applicable when registering as a company).

·         Another incorrect Chamber of Commerce document has been uploaded, such as a Registration Notice.

·         An extract from a foreign Chamber of Commerce has been provided. In this case, we need a valid proof of identity from an authorised signatory (applicable when registering as a company).

Heir registration:

·         The exploitation agreement has not been signed.

·         Not all pages of the exploitation agreement have been uploaded.

·         The proof of identity has not been uploaded.

·         The proof of identity is no longer valid.

·         The certificate of inheritance has not been uploaded. If there is no certificate of inheritance, we would like to receive the personal details of the deceased rights holder, a copy of the extract from the death register, a statement from the Central Wills Register, the reason why the certificate of inheritance is missing and, if there is a surviving spouse or partner, proof of the surviving spouse or partner (for example, an extract from the municipal personal records database).

·         Several heirs are listed in the certificate of inheritance, but they are not mentioned on the exploitation agreement, including their signatures.