What is the difference between Buma, Stemra and Sena?
Updated
The short answer The difference between Buma, Stemra and Sena is that Buma/Stemra collects for the authors of the music, and Sena for the performers.
Two bills Buma and Stemra belong together and collect on behalf of the composer and the lyricist. Sena stands apart and collects on behalf of the artist and the record label. These are two separate rights, each with its own law behind it. So in principle you get two bills, even though Mijnlicentie puts them on one invoice.
With AI music Music made entirely by AI has no author and no performer, and it is never released as a record. That is why you pay nothing to Buma/Stemra and Sena with RadioMatic.
Pay neither
- 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 mentions your business by name, news and your own adverts, if you want.
- 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.
What do Buma and Stemra do?
Buma collects for the performing right, the right to let the public hear music. Stemra collects for the reproduction right, the right to fix music on a carrier. If you play music in your business, you almost always deal with Buma.
That right comes from the Dutch Copyright Act and sits with the composer and the lyricist. In many sectors this is the lower of the two bills.
What does Sena do?
Sena collects on behalf of performing artists and phonogram producers, under Article 7 of the Dutch Neighbouring Rights Act. The basis is equitable remuneration for playing commercially released phonograms.
This is a separate bill, entirely apart from the Buma/Stemra one. In many sectors it is the higher of the two. That is what surprises business owners most often.
So why do you get only one letter?
Almost everyone deals with both. That is why they collect jointly under the name mijnlicentie.nl. You get one letter and one invoice, with two organisations behind it.
That is convenient, but it hides the difference. If the basis for one bill falls away, the other does not automatically go with it. With music that has no human author, the basis for Buma/Stemra falls away. For Sena it falls away too, because there is no performer either.
Tariffs: Buma/Stemra and Sena, tariff year 2026, including the RAAP-PPI surcharge. Sources are published on bumastemra.nl and sena.nl.
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 does this mean for RadioMatic music?
Our music is generated entirely by AI. There is no composer and no lyricist, and Buma/Stemra itself says that such works do not qualify for copyright or payment. There is no performing artist either. So no fee is due to Sena, as we set out in our legal memorandum.
A solution that only removes the Buma bill leaves the larger bill standing in many sectors.
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 no studio |
| Local news and weather | No | Yes, the station’s | No | Yes, your town, your choice of topics |
| 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 Buma, Stemra and Sena
Further reading
- Music without Buma and Sena. Is it possible?Which routes exist, what they really cost, and which one holds up.
- Paying too much to Buma/Stemra and Sena? Get your invoice checked for freeUpload your invoice or letter from Mijnlicentie and we check it.
- How much Buma/Stemra and Sena discount does your trade association give?KHN, ANKO, INretail and others give 14 to 20% extra. What that means in euros, and what membership costs.
- 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