Sena

What Sena does

Sena (Stichting ter Exploitatie van Naburige rechten) is the Dutch non-profit collective management organization (CMO) for neighbouring rights, appointed by the Dutch government under the Neighbouring Rights Act effective 1 July 1993. The organization collects licensing fees from Dutch businesses and organizations that play commercial recorded music publicly (hospitality, retail, offices, events, background music suppliers) and from media users including FM, DAB+, online, and AM radio stations, commercial television broadcasters, cable distributors, and cable tickers. Sena redistributes these collections as royalties to more than 53,000 rights holders, comprising performing artists, session musicians, conductors, band and orchestra members, and record producers entitled to remuneration under the Act, paying out quarterly with a 3% set-aside for Social Cultural Projects and the Music Production Fund. Internationally, Sena operates through bilateral agreements with approximately 80 sister CMOs (including PPL in the UK, GVL in Germany, SoundExchange in the US, and French collecting societies) for reciprocal collection of royalties on Dutch repertoire played abroad and foreign repertoire played in the Netherlands.

Sena's core technology stack centers on the MySena web portal and the Sena mobile app (iOS and Android), which together provide self-service repertoire registration, ISRC code management, claims and double-claims handling, playlist visibility, and payment tracking for rights holders. Music detection is powered by Soundaware audio fingerprinting supplied by a dedicated technology partner, feeding playlist data from qualifying radio and TV stations into Sena's matching and royalty calculation pipeline. A 26.6% RAAP-PPI surcharge, applicable from 2022 through 2026, is administered on top of base tariffs following the European Court of Justice RAAP-PPI ruling. AI-based applications support processing of agreements with performing artists and producers and repertoire matching. Distribution combines self-service for SMB music users via the joint MijnLicentie.nl platform (with BumaStemra) with direct inside-sales contact for media and event licenses. Pricing models vary by license type: usage-based for general and background music licenses, transaction- or turnover-based for radio and television licenses (e.g., 10% of turnover after acquisition cost deductions for national FM stations as set by the District Court of The Hague), and unit pricing for dance events based on ticket price and visitor numbers. Quarterly payment rounds occur at the end of March, June, September, and December, with a minimum net royalty of €5.00 per payment. The organization is governed by a Supervisory Board with an independent chair and an independent financial member, plus a Board of Affiliates split into Performers and Producers sections, each with seven members.

Name

Sena

Legal name

Stichting ter Exploitatie van Naburige rechten

Website

https://sena.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sena is a Dutch non-profit collective management organization that licenses neighbouring music rights from Dutch businesses and broadcasters, distributing royalties to 53,000+ musicians and producers since 1993.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Rights Management

NAICS

Music Publishers (512230)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Neighboring Rights Collection (Sound Recording Performance Rights) (MPAIAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Music Rights Administration & Royalty Processing (Admin, Accounting, Statements) (MPAIAKAD), Global Rights Representation & Sub-Publishing/Reciprocal Collection Services (MPAIAKAI), Public Performance/Neighboring Rights for AV Uses (Cue Sheet & Reporting Services) (MPAIALAK)

Keywords

• Neighbouring rights management
• Music royalty collection
• Collective rights management
• Music licensing services
• Royalty distribution platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Hilversum

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Music Licenses - General: Compulsory licenses collected from businesses and organizations that play music publicly (shops, restaurants, cafes, offices, etc.). Sena collects remuneration on behalf of musicians and producers under the Neighbouring Rights Act.
2. Media Licenses - Radio: Licenses for radio stations (FM, DAB+, online, AM) based on coverage area, audience size, and revenue. Rates determined by distribution channel and station scope.
3. Media Licenses - Television: Licenses for commercial television broadcasters (national and non-national), cable distributors, and tickers. Based on channel reach and advertising revenue.
4. Event Licenses: Licenses for (dance) events where mechanical music is played. Fees based on ticket price and number of visitors. Includes day licenses for short-duration events.
5. Digital Music Signal Distribution: Licenses for background music suppliers streaming audio signals. Includes interactive streaming, backup, storage, and DEM systems.
6. International Collection: Sena collects royalties from abroad through agreements with foreign sister organizations when Dutch music is played internationally, passing these revenues to Dutch rights holders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sena is the Dutch government-appointed collective management organization that collects licensing fees from businesses and broadcasters playing recorded music publicly, and distributes the resulting remuneration to musicians and record producers under the Neighbouring Rights Act. Its core offerings include the MySena rights-holder portal, the Sena mobile app, ISRC-based repertoire registration, and a portfolio of media, event and general business licences operated alongside BumaStemra. As a non-profit foundation, it channels collected funds back to rights holders with minimal deductions and provides supplementary social-cultural and music production funding.

Product overview

Sena is a Dutch collective rights management organization operating under the Neighbouring Rights Act, functioning as a unified platform for music rights administration. The core offering consists of MySena (web portal) and the Sena App (mobile application) which together enable rights holders to register repertoire, track plays, and receive royalty payments. Supporting services include ISRC code management for digital fingerprinting, the Sena Music Production Fund (MPF) for recording grants, and Social Cultural Projects (SoCu) funding for events. On the licensing side, Sena offers specialized licenses for radio, television, digital music transmission, events, and general business use, with a surcharge administration service for international repertoire (RAAP-PPI). The Music Rights on Tour educational program provides masterclasses for musicians.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MySena Online self-service portal where musicians and producers register their repertoire, track plays on radio and television, view invoices and payments, and manage their accounts with Sena.
• Sena Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android that lets rights holders check their current balance, view previous payments, register new repertoire, and claim unclaimed tracks from a smartphone or tablet.
• General Music Licences Licences for businesses and organisations such as hospitality venues, retail, offices, healthcare and workspaces that play background or foreground recorded music for customers or employees.
• Radio Licences Licensing service for radio broadcasters covering FM (national and non-national), DAB+, online radio and AM stations, with tariffs linked to coverage, audience size and station revenue.
• Television, Cable and Ticker Licences Licensing service for commercial television broadcasters (national and non-national), cable distributors and cable ticker services, with separate tariff structures for each category.
• Digital Music Signal Transmission Licences Licences for background music suppliers that distribute music signals via streaming audio, including interactive streaming, backup, storage and DEM systems, with optional playlist compensation.
• (Dance) Event Licences Licences for event organisers playing commercial music at dance events, concerts and festivals, with rates based on ticket price and visitor numbers and day licences available for short-duration events.
• ISRC Recording Identification Service

Quantifiable outcome

• 53,000+ rights holders represented
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BumaStemracoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019BumaStemra represents composers, lyricists, and publishers (copyright). Together with Norma, they co-founded Music Rights on Tour initiative in 2019 to educate music creators about rights and royalties. They also share the MijnLicentie.nl platform with Sena for joint licensing services.
• NormaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Norma represents performing artists in the audiovisual sector. Co-founded Music Rights on Tour initiative with BumaStemra and Sena in 2019 to reach and educate music creators about rights.
• ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSena is a partner of ESNS (Eurosonic Noorderslag), an annual music industry event in Groningen, Netherlands. As a partner, Sena participates in panels and educational activities for emerging artists and music professionals.
• Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSena is a partner of ADE, the major electronic music industry event in Amsterdam. Through this partnership, Sena provides information and education to dance producers, DJs, and music professionals.
• SoundawarecoreTechnology or IntegrationSoundaware is Sena's fingerprint supplier for music detection. Radio and TV stations meeting processing criteria are fingerprinted by Soundaware, with data supplied to Sena for playlist matching and royalty calculation.
• 80+ International Sister OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSena has bilateral agreements with collective management organizations in approximately 80 countries worldwide for reciprocal royalty collection. Key partners include PPL (UK), GVL (Germany), SoundExchange (USA), SCPP/SPPF/SPEDIDAM/ADAMI (France), and many others. These agreements enable Sena to collect royalties for Dutch music played abroad and pay foreign rights holders for music played in the Netherlands.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gesellschaft zur Verwertung von Leistungsschutzrechten (GVL): Germany's CMO for neighboring rights, collecting and distributing royalties for performers and phonogram producers. Sena's sister CMO under reciprocal international agreements with the same statutory mandate in a larger market.
• SAMI: Swedish CMO that administers neighboring rights for performing artists and phonogram producers in Sweden. Direct neighboring-rights peer serving as Sena's Scandinavian counterpart under reciprocal agreements.
• SoundExchange: US non-profit performance rights organization designated to collect and distribute neighboring rights royalties for sound recording copyright owners, featured artists and non-featured artists. Direct functional peer at much larger scale, with a similar digital-first distribution model.
• Gramo: Norwegian CMO for neighboring rights, collecting and distributing remuneration to performers and producers when recorded music is publicly performed or broadcast. Closely mirrors Sena's mandate in a smaller, similarly-structured Nordic market.
• Société Civile des Producteurs de Phonogrammes en France (SCPP): French CMO representing phonogram producers in the collection of neighboring rights from public performance and broadcasting. Sister CMO under reciprocal arrangements; the producer-side counterpart in France to Sena's mandate.
• ADAMI: French CMO that manages neighboring rights for performing artists (singers, musicians), distributing royalties collected from broadcasters and live venues. Most direct peer to Sena on the performer share of neighboring rights.
• SPEDIDAM: French CMO that administers neighboring rights for performers, including session musicians, in both recorded and live contexts. Sister CMO under reciprocal international agreements covering performers.
• Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL): UK collective management organization that collects neighboring rights royalties from UK music users and distributes them to ~150,000 performers and rights holders. Most direct functional peer to Sena in mandate (neighboring rights only) and digital self-service portal.

Others

• International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI): Global trade body representing the recording industry that links national CMOs (including Sena's international partners) and the wider ecosystem of neighboring rights. Not a CMO itself, but the coordinating counterpart for Sena's international reciprocal arrangements.
• BumaStemra: Dutch CMO representing composers, lyricists and music publishers for the copyright (composition) side of music rights. Sister organization within the Netherlands that shares the MijnLicentie.nl platform with Sena; complementary rather than competing mandate (copyright vs. neighboring rights).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/sena_nl
• Facebookfacebook.com/senarechten
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/senarechten

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Sena