Koda

What Koda does

Koda is Denmark's primary collective management organization (CMO) for music rights, representing composers, songwriters, and music publishers in the licensing and collection of royalties when their works are performed publicly. Operating from Copenhagen (Lautrupsgade 9, 2100 København Ø) with approximately 135 employees, the organization has been active for nearly a century and serves approximately 40,000 business licensees across Denmark — spanning retail, hospitality (restaurants, cafés, hotels, fitness centers), broadcasting (DR, TV2, regional stations), streaming platforms (Netflix, Viaplay, Apple TV+, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube), concert promoters, and theatrical production — alongside a large membership base of music creators whose works are tracked across domestic and international usage.

Koda's technology footprint centers on a rights management and royalty distribution system composed of the "Mit Koda" member self-service portal (work registration, concert reporting, payment tracking, ISRC code management), the "kunde.koda.dk" online licensing portal, and the in-house Nordisk Copyright Bureau (NCB) handling mechanical and synchronization rights across the Nordics. Specialized organizational units include Koda Dramatik (theatrical productions — musicals, opera, ballet, revues — managed by Director Gorm Arildsen) and Koda Kultur (cultural grant administration through funds such as Potentialepuljen, Udgivelsespuljen, and PR-puljer, awarding 5,000–50,000 DKK). Reciprocal collection agreements with approximately 100 international collection societies enable global royalty capture for Danish music played abroad, complemented by direct agreements with major streamers. Sister organization Gramex represents performing musicians and labels, and Koda collects payments on Gramex's behalf in most licensing areas.

Revenue is generated entirely through licensing fees, with pricing tiered by use case: SMB music licenses start at approximately 20 DKK per day billed monthly; concert and event licenses scale with ticket revenue, attendance, and duration on annual or per-event bases; hotels, restaurants, and nightlife operate on annual subscriptions following a linear pricing model introduced in July 2023 through frame agreements with industry associations Horesta, Dansk Erhverv, and DRC; theatrical works are transacted per production with pricing driven by production type, duration, and song count. As a non-profit collective management organization, Koda redistributes approximately 90% of collected revenues to rights holders on a monthly cycle (excluding July), retaining only operational costs, and is membership-governed through board elections at annual general meetings.

Name

Koda

Legal name

Koda

Website

https://koda.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Koda is Denmark's primary collective management organization for music rights, licensing public performance of music to approximately 40,000 Danish businesses and redistributing royalties to its member composers, songwriters, and music publishers from a Copenhagen base.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Rights Management (Collective Management Organization)

NAICS

Music Publishers (512230)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) & Public Performance Licensing (MPAIAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performance Rights Administration (PRO Affiliation, Cue Sheet/Setlist Processing) (MPAIABAE), Royalty Accounting & Payment Services (Statements, Audits, Payee Management) (MPAIABAL), Mechanical Licensing (MLC/Local Equivalents, D2C/Streaming Mechanical) (MPAIABAD)

Keywords

• Music rights management
• Public performance licensing
• Royalty collection and distribution
• Collective management organization
• Music licensing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Music License Fees from Businesses: Koda collects license fees from approximately 40,000 businesses in Denmark — including shops, restaurants, cafes, hotels, concert venues, radio/TV stations, and streaming services — that play music publicly. Fees are based on the type and scale of music use (background music, live concerts, broadcasting, streaming, etc.). Koda is a non-profit organization and redistributes revenues to rights holders after operational costs, with 90% of revenues reportedly returned to music creators.
2. International Royalty Collection: Koda has agreements with approximately 100 collection societies worldwide. When Danish music is played internationally, the local collection society collects fees and remits them to Koda, which then distributes to its Danish members. Koda also has direct agreements with major international online music services (e.g., Spotify) for royalty collection and distribution.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Koda is a Danish collective management organization that sells public performance music licenses to approximately 40,000 businesses (restaurants, shops, hotels, broadcasters, streaming services, concert venues) for access to over 38 million songs, and collects and distributes resulting royalties to its member composers, songwriters, and music publishers. The organization operates on a non-profit basis, returning approximately 90% of revenues to rights holders, and provides additional services including theatrical licensing through Koda Dramatik and cultural grants through Koda Kultur.

Product overview

Koda is Denmark's primary collective management organization for music rights, representing composers, songwriters, and music publishers. The organization operates a portfolio of products centered on music licensing and royalty distribution. Core offerings include music licenses for businesses (covering restaurants, concerts, retail, hotels, fitness centers, and podcasts), the Koda Dramatik division for theatrical productions, and Koda Kultur cultural grants. The Mit Koda self-service portal enables members to register works, report concerts, and track payments. Revenue comes from licensing fees collected from music users and is distributed monthly to rights holders based on usage reporting. The organization works in partnership with Gramex (for performing musicians) and manages NCB (Nordisk Copyright Bureau) for mechanical rights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Koda Dramatik: A division of Koda that handles music licensing for theater, opera, ballet, musical, and revue productions, and provides permissions for using music in stage productions.

Products and services

• Koda Musiklicens (Music License) Core music licensing product allowing Danish businesses to legally play music publicly, granting access to over 38 million songs from around the world. Sold to restaurants, shops, hotels, concert venues, broadcasters, streaming services, and event organizers.
• Koda Dramatik Specialized Koda division that handles permissions and licensing for music used in theatrical productions including musicals, ballets, operas, and revues. Provides rights clearing and project support for new Danish music drama.
• Koda Kultur Cultural funding program that distributes grants and scholarships to Koda members for music projects including recordings, releases, professional production, and artist development through various grant pools such as Potentialepuljen and Udgivelsespuljen.
• Mit Koda (Member Portal) Member self-service portal enabling composers, songwriters, and publishers to register works, report concerts, view payment details, manage ISRC codes, and access account information for royalty tracking.
• Koda Udbetaling (Royalty Payments) Monthly royalty payment service that distributes payments to Koda members for music played on TV, radio, streaming services, at concerts, and internationally, based on registered works and usage reporting.
• Koncertlicens (Concert License) Music license for live concerts, events, and DJ performances. Covers live performances and background music before, during, and after events, with pricing based on ticket revenue, attendees, concert duration, and music duration.
• Restaurant- og Cafélicens Music license for restaurants and cafés covering background music, live performances, and DJ events in food service establishments.
• Hotel- og Overnatningslicens Music license for hotels and accommodation providers covering music played in guest areas, event spaces, and common areas.
• Podcastlicens Music license for podcasts covering the use of copyrighted music in podcast episodes.
• Musik på Teaterscener (Theater Stage Music License) License for music with a prominent role in theatrical productions including songs, live music, and dance music up to 15 minutes, with pricing based on production type, brand association, storyline progression, duration, and number of songs.
• Udgivelsespuljen (Release Grant Pool) Grant program under Koda Kultur supporting the release of newly created music, covering recording, mixing, mastering, musician fees, studio rental, and production costs. Awards range from 10,000 to 50,000 DKK.
• Potentialepuljen (Potential Grant Pool) Grant program under Koda Kultur for composers and songwriters in startup or restart phases of their career, supporting work grants, education grants, and project grants. Awards range from 5,000 to 25,000 DKK.

Quantifiable outcome

• Koda collected over 1.4 billion DKK in revenue in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• APRA (Australasian Performing Right Association)coreOthersAPRA handles radio reporting and royalty collection in Australia for Danish music played on Australian radio. Koda receives royalty payments from APRA for Danish music played in Australia, which are then distributed to Koda members.
• GEMA (Germany)coreOthersGEMA is the German collection society that handles music royalty collection in Germany. When Danish music is played in Germany, GEMA collects fees and remits them to Koda for distribution to Danish rights holders.
• ~100 International Collection SocietiescoreOthersKoda maintains reciprocal agreements with approximately 100 collection societies worldwide, enabling comprehensive international royalty collection for Danish music played globally and foreign music played in Denmark.
• Horesta, Dansk Erhverv, DRCcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerKoda has entered frame agreements with Danish industry associations Horesta (representing hotels and restaurants), Dansk Erhverv, and DRC, which help facilitate and promote music licensing among their business members.
• Sony Music PublishingstrategicTechnology or IntegrationKoda Dramatik has an agreement with Sony Music Publishing that allows Koda Dramatik to grant permissions for a portion of Sony's music repertoire for use in theatrical productions, simplifying the licensing process for theater producers.
• Universal Music Publishing GroupstrategicTechnology or IntegrationKoda Dramatik has an agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group that enables the organization to grant permissions for parts of Universal's music catalog for stage productions, reducing administrative burden for theater producers.
• Spotify and major streaming servicescoreTechnology or IntegrationKoda has direct agreements with major streaming services including Spotify, enabling direct royalty collection and distribution for streams of Koda members' music on these platforms, including internationally.
• GramexcoreOthersGramex is the Danish performing rights organization representing performing musicians and record labels. Koda collects payments on behalf of Gramex on most licensing areas, and businesses typically need licenses from both Koda and Gramex to play music publicly.
• CISAC (International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers)strategicOthersKoda is a member of CISAC, the international confederation of collective management societies, together with 226 other societies internationally. CISAC facilitates international cooperation among collection societies.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@KodaKulturDK
• Facebookfacebook.com/koda.musik
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/koda
• Instagraminstagram.com/koda_dk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Koda