The calculation is accurate – worldwide!
AKM and austro mechana have concluded reciprocity agreements with numerous collecting societies (e.g. GEMA in Germany) in all parts of the world.
Based on these contracts, the societies in the respective country also work for members of AKM and austro mechana, i.e. they also collect the license fees for our members in their country and distribute the royalty amounts attributable to our members to AKM and austro mechana.
International Royalty Distributions
Income generated from the use of AKM repertoire abroad is paid to our members through the respective international royalty distribution. The timing of payments received by AKM varies depending on the distribution schedule of the respective foreign society; however, funds are received at least once a year.
AKM distributes these royalties through annual international royalty distributions for each country and collecting society. For Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain and the United Kingdom, distributions are made twice a year.
The schedule of payment dates for AKM and austro mechana international royalty distributions is available here.
Claims and Inquiries
We are also happy to assist our members with claims relating to the use of their works abroad and will forward such claims to the relevant sister society in the respective country.
Further information about the claims process can be found here.
As an additional service, AKM also assists members before royalties are distributed:
Music is increasingly being streamed on on-demand platforms such as Spotify and YouTube. In order to process usage reports more quickly and accurately and to help ensure that creators receive their royalties promptly, AKM has established a strategic partnership with ICE (International Copyright Enterprise) in the field of multi-territorial online licensing. Additionally, the data processing of several online platforms is carried out through AKM’s NEON software.
Here you will find the payment dates and distribution details of AKM and austro mechana for the current year and previous years that are relevant for international usage.
*These countries have semi-annual settlements. Complaints can only be accepted after the 2nd half-year has been paid.
*These countries have semi-annual settlements. Complaints can only be accepted after the 2nd half-year has been paid.
*These countries have semi-annual settlements. Complaints can only be accepted after the 2nd half-year has been paid.
*These countries have semi-annual settlements. Complaints can only be accepted after the 2nd half-year has been paid.
** There are two collecting societies for the USA territory.
*These countries have semi-annual settlements. Complaints can only be accepted after payment of the 2nd half-year.
*These countries have semi-annual settlements. Complaints can only be accepted after payment of the 2nd half-year.
*These countries have semi-annual settlements. Complaints can only be accepted after payment of the 2nd half-year.
** There are two collecting societies for the USA territory.
*These countries have semi-annual settlements. Complaints can only be accepted after the 2nd half-year has been paid.
*These countries have semi-annual settlements. Complaints can only be accepted after the 2nd half-year has been paid.
*These countries have semi-annual settlements. Complaints can only be accepted after the 2nd half-year has been paid.
*These countries have semi-annual settlements. Complaints can only be accepted after the 2nd half-year has been paid.
** There are two collecting societies for the USA territory.
*These countries have semi-annual settlements. Complaints can only be accepted after the 2nd half-year has been paid.
*These countries have semi-annual settlements. Complaints can only be accepted after the 2nd half-year has been paid.
*These countries have semi-annual settlements. Complaints can only be accepted after the 2nd half-year has been paid.
*These countries have semi-annual settlements. Complaints can only be accepted after the 2nd half-year has been paid.
** There are two collecting societies for the USA territory.
AKM submits claims relating to international royalty distributions to the respective sister society. Before submitting a claim, please check whether royalties for the relevant country, period and category of use have already been distributed.
For claims relating to uses in the categories Radio, TV, Film, Online or Sound Carriers, please complete the relevant claim form provided below and send it to us at [email protected]
For claims relating to uses in the Live category (public performances), the programme notification submitted via our Serviceportal serves as the basis for processing your claim. Please send us a PDF copy of this programme notification or, alternatively, a copy of the programme notification you submitted to the event organiser or the sister society in the relevant country.
If you have any further questions regarding the claims process, please contact us by e‑mail at [email protected]
FAQ
Here you can read all about when exactly which country conducted its royalty payment processing in the last 3 years. In case you don’t find the country in the list, then it means that the royalty distribution does not take place based on the respective authorized beneficiary, but, for reasons of economic efficiency, rather in the form of a lump sum according to a determination by the board of directors. That is, royalty distribution with very small sums from countries where very little music by our performers is played and very small sums are involved is charged on a flat-rate basis accordingly.
Be sure that your works are indeed registered. You can have a look at your AKM-registered works here in the service portal. For receiving payment for royalties for performances outside Austria, the program reporting submitted in the service portal is helpful. You can find detailed information about submitting program reports on the AKM website. If, however, despite having registered works and submitted program reporting, no royalties for the respective performance arrive, you can submit a complaint through AKM regarding those outstanding royalties.
Please first check whether royalties for the relevant country, period and category of use have already been distributed. You can verify this here. We can only process your claim and forward it to our sister societies once the relevant distribution has taken place.
Unfortunately, our affiliate CMOs cannot accept complaints without these details (see above). Without this information, we cannot process the complaint.
No, please do not send us any information about your performances outside Austria in this case. A detailed comparison of the events or radio/TV broadcasts with the royalty calculations made has to be conducted by members after the payment from the respective year of use.
Complaints are generally possible only for three years past the respective use date, deadline is the 1st of December of the current year. For example, complaints for the years 2023–2025 can be submitted up until the 1st of December 2026 and after that, only from 2024.
Due to the missing information and documentation on the part of the event organizer or due to funds not yet being collectible, the processing of complaints by our affiliate CMOs can take time. As long as you have submitted the complaint within the 3‑year time limit, however, your right to royalties does not expire. Please exercise patience. As soon as a royalty distribution calculation date for your complaint is set, we will let you know.
No. Complaints for fiscal years before your AKM membership unfortunately cannot be processed. You’ll have to get in touch with the CMO where you were a member previously for this.
The royalties for Germany/ GEMA for radio, TV and film are always paid out in December for the previous year— so, for example, in December 2026, royalties for the broadcast year of 2025 are paid out. However, only the stations that are charged by program are calculated by GEMA. Should the station that played your works not be included in this list, unfortunately no royalty payouts can be processed and therefore also no complaints.
- List of radio stations that are charged by program and thus eligible for royalties
- List of TV stations that are charged by program and thus eligible for royalties
Royalties for Germany/GEMA for public performances are always paid out in September for the previous year— for example, in September 2026, the royalty payments for the performance year for 2025 are paid out. On the GEMA website, you can find a fact sheet for the method of calculation.
It is generally speaking the case that no central database of music works currently exists. Works from the AKM database thus do not automatically appear in the work database of the respective CMO (for example, GEMA). When they do appear, it is when one use has been registered with them already. Due to the large volume of program reporting that our affiliate companies are sent, this lack of synchronization of works often takes places over the course of a complaint and simply takes time to get worked out. Apart from that, there is the non-governmental, non-profit umbrella organization, CISAC or International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers), which provides the service of international work search (Cisnet/Fasttrack). This is however not regularly updated or necessarily used by the respective CMOs.
