Stim

What Stim does

Stim is a Swedish non-profit membership organization and collective management organization (CMO) founded in 1923, headquartered in Stockholm at Hornsgatan 103. Officially Föreningen Svenska Tonsättares Internationella Musikbyrå (Stim) u.p.a., it serves two primary constituencies: music creators (songwriters, composers, lyricists) and publishers on the supply side, and Swedish businesses and venues on the demand side. The organization ensures that music creators receive compensation when their works are performed publicly — across radio, TV, streaming, live events, and commercial premises — while providing businesses with the legal licenses required to play that music in their operations.

The core product portfolio centers on the Musiklicens (Music License), a comprehensive licensing service covering diverse usage contexts (restaurants, bars, retail, sports venues, fitness, train carriages, online platforms, podcasts, parking garages, care facilities, live events, etc.) with tiered pricing based on venue capacity, attendance, and usage patterns. Membership services for creators — accessed through the Mina Sidor self-service portal and Stimappen mobile app — enable works registration, payment tracking, and live performance reporting. Underlying the offerings is a music rights management and licensing technology platform: an extensive music repertoire database that tracks usage across channels and a reporting/royalty distribution system that compensates rights holders based on performances. Ancillary products and subsidiaries include Stim Music Room (free studio workspace for affiliated creators), Cora (licensed music and sound effects for online video), Svensk Musik (sheet music archive with 90,000+ works), and NCB, a joint venture with Nordic sister societies handling mechanical reproduction rights.

Stim's business model is dual-sided: on the demand side, licensing fees are collected from hundreds of thousands of Swedish businesses and organizations based on usage category, venue size, and attendance (e.g., restaurants 2,204-37,003+ SEK annually, sporting events 499-21,688+ SEK per day, podcasts 0.002 SEK per streamed music minute with minimums). On the supply side, music creators and publishers join as members and receive royalty distributions at least eight times per year, plus quarterly streaming payouts. As a non-profit organization owned by its members, revenues are distributed back to rights holders rather than retained. Stim operates exclusively within Sweden for licensing, while international royalty collection is handled through reciprocal agreements with sister societies worldwide. The organization's stated scale: 100,000+ affiliated music creators and publishers, recognized as a world-leading organization in music tech.

Name

Stim

Legal name

Föreningen Svenska Tonsättares Internationella Musikbyrå (Stim) u.p.a.

Website

https://stim.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Stim is a Swedish non-profit collective management organization founded in 1923 that licenses public music usage to 100,000+ affiliated music creators and publishers. It collects licensing fees from hundreds of thousands of Swedish businesses across 12+ usage categories and distributes those revenues as royalties to rights holders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Rights Management

NAICS

Music Publishers (512230), Music Publishers (51223)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Global Rights Representation & Sub-Publishing/Reciprocal Collection Services (MPAIAKAI), Creator Licensing & Rights Monetization (UGC Licensing, Music/Video Rights) (MPACAFAK)

Keywords

• Music rights management
• Music licensing services
• Performing rights organization
• Royalty collection services
• Music copyright management

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Music licensing fees: Stim collects licensing fees from businesses and organizations that use music publicly. These include fees for live music, background music in establishments, streaming, podcasts, and various other music usage categories. The fees are determined by business type, venue size, and usage patterns. As a non-profit organization, revenues are used to compensate rights holders.
2. Membership fees: Music creators and publishers pay membership fees to join Stim and have their works represented. This enables them to receive compensation when their music is played publicly.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Stim is a non-profit collective management organization that licenses music for public use to businesses and organizations in Sweden and distributes collected royalties to its member music creators (songwriters, composers, lyricists) and publishers. Founded in 1923 and based in Stockholm, Stim manages rights for over 100,000 affiliated creators and publishers, offering music licenses across contexts such as restaurants, retail, fitness, events, and digital platforms, while also providing membership services to creators for registering works and receiving royalties.

Product overview

Stim operates as a collective rights management organization ( CMO/ PRO) structured as a non-profit membership organization. The core offering consists of music licensing services enabling businesses to legally use music from Stim's repertoire, combined with membership services allowing music creators and publishers to collect royalties. The product portfolio centers on the Musiklicens (Music License) as the primary licensing product, supplemented by the Licensshop e-commerce portal, Mina Sidor self-service portal, and the Stimappen mobile app for members. Ancillary offerings include Stim Music Room (creative workspace with free studio time), Publisher Service, Svensk Musik (sheet music archive), Cora (music for video), and NCB (mechanical rights). All licensing is territory-restricted to Sweden, with separate international collection handled through reciprocal agreements with sister societies worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Musiklicens (Music License) Legal music licenses for businesses and organizations to play music publicly in Sweden across contexts such as restaurants, bars, retail stores, fitness centers, hotels, and other commercial venues. Licenses are categorized by venue type and music usage context, with pricing based on business size and usage category.
• Medlemskap (Membership) Membership service for songwriters, composers, lyricists, and music publishers who register their works with Stim to receive collected royalties from public music usage in Sweden and internationally.
• Mina Sidor (My Pages) Online self-service portal where members and license customers can manage their account information, register works, view royalty distributions, and administer licenses. Members can register works online, monitor royalty payouts, and access information about their catalog and earnings.
• Licensshop (License Shop) E-commerce platform where business customers can purchase music licenses for various commercial use cases online. Allows businesses to self-purchase music licenses through an online checkout process.
• Stim Music Room Creative workspace service for members offering free studio time for songwriting, music production, and creative collaboration. A physical creative facility provided to members at no cost as part of the membership benefits.
• Stimappen Mobile application for members to manage their Stim account, register works, view royalty information, and access member services on mobile devices. Provides mobile access to key member functions and royalty tracking.
• Förlagsservice (Publisher Service) Dedicated service for music publishers to administer their catalogs, register works, and receive royalty distributions through Stim's collective management infrastructure. Supports publishers with catalog registration and royalty collection services.
• Svensk Musik Swedish sheet music archive and access service operated by Stim that allows musicians to access and license sheet music from the Swedish music repertoire. A separate sub-brand service that provides musicians access to Swedish sheet music.
• Cora Music and sound effects licensing service for online video creators and digital platforms requiring background music and sound effects for their content. Targeted at digital content creators needing pre-cleared music for video and online use.
• NCB Shared service for obtaining permissions for the mechanical reproduction of musical works in recorded form, operated in partnership with Nordic rights organizations. Handles record publishing permissions for musical works.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SureelcoreTechnology or Integration · 17 June 2026Sureel, acquired by Warner Music Group, has partnered with Swedish copyright agency STIM to develop systems enabling music creators to receive compensation when their works are used to train generative AI tools. Sureel's software labels media with owner-determined instructions and tracks AI company usage to set licensing fees.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• GEMA: Germany's largest PRO with approximately 90,000+ members, collecting royalties on behalf of music creators and licensing music for German businesses. Operates the same collective rights management model as Stim, with reciprocal agreements through CISAC.
• SACEM: French performing rights society managing rights for music creators and publishers, with licensing operations for French businesses across live, digital, and background uses. Functions as Stim's direct counterpart in France with near-identical business model.
• BMI: US-based PRO competing directly with ASCAP, representing songwriters, composers, and publishers with public performance licensing for US businesses. Comparable in membership scale and licensing scope to Stim.
• ASCAP: US PRO with hundreds of thousands of songwriter, composer, and publisher members, licensing public performance rights to US businesses. Closest North American analog to Stim, including reciprocal international royalty collection.
• ICE (Integrated Copyright Extension): UK-based collective licensing hub formed by PRS, PPL, and GEMA-JAIM, handling multi-territory online music licensing for DSPs. Compares to Stim's digital licensing operations and international reciprocal collection infrastructure.
• PRS for Music: UK-based performing rights organization representing over 100,000 songwriters, composers, and publishers. Directly comparable to Stim as a CMO collecting public performance royalties and licensing music for UK businesses, with the same member-owned non-profit structure.

Emerging players

• SoundExchange: US non-profit designated collective for neighboring rights (sound recording performance royalties) from satellite radio, internet radio, and cable TV. Adjacent rights administration role comparable to Stim's composer-side PRO function but on the master recording side.

Regional players

• KODA: Danish PRO and Stim's Nordic sister society, administering rights for Danish music creators with reciprocal collection arrangements with Stim. Directly comparable in scope but geographically separate from Stim's Swedish territory.
• TONO: Norwegian PRO and Stim's Nordic sister society. Comparable membership-based, non-profit rights administration model for the Norwegian market with reciprocal cross-border royalty collection.
• TEOSTO: Finnish PRO managing music rights for Finnish creators and licensing music in Finland. Sister society to Stim with reciprocal collection agreements; operates the same model but in the Finnish market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/stimsweden
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stim
• Instagraminstagram.com/stimsweden
• TikToktiktok.com/@stimsweden
• Xx.com/STIM_Sweden

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

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 Stim