Received a letter from Mijnlicentie? These are your options.
Updated
The short answer With a letter from Mijnlicentie you have three options. You pay, you reply with proof that you play no music you have to pay for, or you ignore the letter. Ignoring it is the most expensive choice.
What the letter is Mijnlicentie is the joint collection service of Buma/Stemra and Sena. They assume music can be heard in your premises that you have to pay for. It is not a fine but a claim. Not sure the amount is right? Get your invoice checked for free.
With RadioMatic The music is made entirely by AI, so you pay nothing to Buma and Sena. A subscription costs from € 29.99 a month.
Have your letter checked, and play music without Buma and Sena from now on
- 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 is Mijnlicentie?
Buma/Stemra collects on behalf of composers and lyricists, under the Dutch Copyright Act. Sena collects on behalf of performing artists and record labels, under the Neighbouring Rights Act. So these are two separate rights and two separate organisations.
Almost everyone who deals with one also deals with the other. That is why they collect jointly under one name, mijnlicentie.nl. One letter and one invoice, with two organisations behind it.
What can you do with the letter?
You have three options. The first is to pay, because you do play music by human authors. The tariff depends on your sector and on the floor area where the music can be heard. Check that area, because that is where most mistakes are made in practice.
The second is to tell them you do not play music you have to pay for, with reasoning. You then need to be able to show what you do play. A statement from your supplier belongs with that.
The third is to leave the letter alone. That is the most expensive choice. The period being recovered keeps running, and civil collection does not make it cheaper. If you want out of the licence, first read how to cancel Buma/Stemra.
Is the amount on the letter right?
Check before you pay. An invoice is based on data that is not always right, such as the number of square metres, the category your business has been placed in, whether there are several spaces where music can be heard.
Have your invoice checked for free and see what the 2026 tariffs give for your own floor area and sector. If that differs from what the letter says, you know what the conversation is about.
Tariffs: Buma/Stemra and Sena, tariff year 2026, including the RAAP-PPI surcharge. Sources are published on bumastemra.nl and sena.nl. This is information, not legal advice.
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 changes with AI music?
As long as you play music by human authors, you have to pay, whichever supplier you use. The amount can come down. It does not go away.
With music generated entirely by AI it is different. There is no composer and no 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 letter does arrive, you show what you play.
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 the Mijnlicentie letter
Further reading
- Paying too much to Buma/Stemra and Sena? Get your invoice checked for freeUpload your invoice or letter from Mijnlicentie and we check it.
- A fine from Buma/Stemra? There is no such thing. This is what you pay.There is no fine. What you do lose is the discount, and it is a big one.
- 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.
- What is the difference between Buma, Stemra and Sena?Three names, two bills, and what you pay to whom.
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