A fine from Buma/Stemra? There is no such thing. This is what you pay.
Updated
No fine A Buma/Stemra fine does not exist, and Sena cannot fine you either. If you played music without a licence, you get an invoice afterwards for the tariff that fits your business. You just miss the discount of up to 33.33% you get for registering yourself.
Not paying If you then do not pay, costs and interest are added, and in the end the case can go to court. Not sure the amount is right? Get your invoice checked for free.
Without that bill With RadioMatic you pay from € 29.99 a month, and nothing to Buma/Stemra and Sena, because the music is made entirely by AI.
How to be done with the Buma bill
- A station of your own. The best music in your business every day, and the station remembers your hits.
- We handle your switch. After your trial we cancel Buma/Stemra, Sena and your old music service for you, free of charge. How the switching service works.
- Just atmosphere music, or a complete business radio. With a presenter who talks about your business between the songs, if you want, and with Professional also news and your own adverts.
- Works on what is already there. Sonos, Chromecast, a browser or the line-in of your amplifier.
- 14 days free. A reply within one working day and live in under ten minutes.
From € 29.99 per location per month. What you now pay Buma/Stemra and Sena goes, and so does your current music subscription.
Why is it not a fine?
A fine is imposed by the government, or by a regulator with that power under the law. Buma/Stemra and Sena are neither. They are organisations that collect payments on behalf of composers, lyricists, performers and record labels. What they send you is an invoice. What they ask a court for is that you pay that invoice.
The district court sees it the same way. A country inn in North Holland paid late and lost a discount of € 699.96 as a result. The business argued that the discount was in effect a fine to force payment. The court did not agree and ordered it to pay the full amount (ECLI:NL:RBNHO:2020:2643).
So what do you pay?
The tariff without the discount. Register yourself and pay on time, and you get a discount. Sena states a maximum of 33.33% in its 2026 tariff overview. Buma/Stemra states up to 33.33% in its tariff sheets for background music and hospitality.
If an inspection finds you playing music without a licence, you do not get that discount. Mijnlicentie writes that after an inspection you still receive an invoice, "but then without this discount".
The full tariff is half as much again as the discounted tariff. If you would pay € 600 a year with the discount, you pay € 900 without it.
The invoice covers the whole period in which you were already playing without a licence. The law generally sets the limit for claims like this at five years (Dutch Civil Code, book 3).
How do Buma and Sena find out?
Buma/Stemra and Sena have field relationship managers. They visit shops and hospitality venues and establish whether music is playing. An invoice follows the visit.
An example from case law. A Sena relationship manager visited a Chinese restaurant on 27 March 2024 and heard music playing. The invoice followed on 10 April, then reminders and final notices, and eventually a summons to the Overijssel district court (ECLI:NL:RBOVE:2025:2179).
What happens if you do not pay?
Mijnlicentie describes four steps. First you get the invoice, with thirty days to pay. Then a reminder, where the discount still stands but € 20 in costs is added. Then a final notice. At that point the discount lapses and you receive an extra invoice for the amount of that discount. After that the claim goes to a debt collection agency.
If you still leave it unpaid, the district court follows. In the restaurant case the court awarded the invoice of € 1,015.66, with interest and legal costs. On top of that came a ban on playing music without a licence, with a penalty for every day.
The legal costs there were almost as high as the invoice itself. That is what leaving a letter unanswered costs in practice.
When do you not have to pay?
If no customers or public come into your space and no more than two employees can hear the music, you need no licence according to Mijnlicentie. Note that switching on the radio counts as playing music too.
You also do not pay for music with no rights holder behind it that Buma/Stemra or Sena represents. If a supplier says you owe nothing, ask them to put that reasoning in writing.
Spotify is a separate story. Spotify only allows personal use. Play it in your business and you have a problem with Spotify, and on top of that with the levies. See Can you use Spotify for business?
Sources: Mijnlicentie, invoices, Mijnlicentie, do I need a licence, Sena, 2026 tariff overview, Buma/Stemra, tariffs and the two rulings mentioned on rechtspraak.nl, all in Dutch. Consulted on 22 September 2026. This is information, not legal advice. Also used ECLI:NL:RBNHO:2020:2643, wetten.overheid.nl, ECLI:NL:RBOVE:2025:2179.
Work out what you save
Three questions, and you see what you now spend on Buma/Stemra, Sena and your music service.
What kind of business do you have?
What if your music has no human author?
If you play music by human makers, the cheapest route is simple. Register yourself and pay on time, and you keep the discount.
RadioMatic music is generated entirely by AI. There is no composer or lyricist, and Buma/Stemra itself says that such works do not qualify for copyright or payment. Nothing is due to Sena either, as we set out in our legal memorandum. If a relationship manager does come by, you show what you are playing.
Read the legal reasoningWhy RadioMatic is something other than a playlist or the radio
A business owner who wants music on the premises usually picks from three things. A playlist from a streaming service, an ordinary radio station, or a royalty-free music package. This is where they differ.
| Playlist | Ordinary radio | Royalty-free | RadioMatic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New music | Fixed list | Yes, but not your choice | Limited catalogue | New every day |
| Music that is yours alone | No | No | No | Yes, your own hits |
| Fits the time of day | Switch it yourself | No | Switch it yourself | Automatic |
| Names your business | No | No | No | Yes |
| Your own offers | No | Only if you buy advertising | No | Yes, with Professional, no studio |
| Local news and weather | No | Yes, the station’s | No | Yes, with Professional, your town |
| Other people’s adverts | No | Yes | No | No |
| Several locations | Set up per location | No | Set up per location | Yes, from one place, each with its own mood |
| Buma/Stemra and Sena | Payable | Payable | See the terms | Not payable |
Questions about a bill from Buma/Stemra
Further reading
- Received a letter from Mijnlicentie? These are your options.What that letter is, what your options are, and why ignoring it costs most.
- Paying too much to Buma/Stemra and Sena? Get your invoice checked for freeUpload your invoice or letter from Mijnlicentie and we check it.
- Can you cancel Buma/Stemra, and how do you do it?Only if you stop playing the music you are paying for. Here is how.
- Radio on in your business? Then you pay Buma and Sena too.The radio counts like anything else. What it costs, when it does not count, and why TV is a third bill.
Ready to hear it for yourself?
Try RadioMatic free for 14 days. Your own station for your business, without Buma/Stemra and Sena, and cancel monthly if you pay monthly.
Rather talk first? Book a 15-minute call