What AKM does

AKM (Austrian collective rights management organization, formally AKM eingetragene Genossenschaft mit beschränkter Haftung) is Austria's government-authorized collecting society for musical copyright, operating alongside its affiliated mechanical rights entity Austro Mechana under shared leadership of General Director Gernot Graninger. Founded in 1946 under a Wahrnehmungsgenehmigung from the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, AKM represents 29,000+ member composers, lyricists, and music publishers, licensing public performance, broadcasting, online, and mechanical rights to 75,000+ music users across Austria.

The organization's core technology stack centers on the Serviceportal (akm-aume.at), an online self-service platform for work registration, program reporting, royalty statements, and repertoire search. This is supplemented by a mobile application featuring 'Scan den Beat' QR-code scanning and audio-recognition-based live setlist monitoring, which extracts audio chunks from device microphones to identify performed musical works against reference data. AKM manages multi-territorial online licensing through the ICE joint venture (GEMA, STIM, PRS), enabling rights clearance for European digital music platforms.

AKM operates as a non-profit cooperative, collecting license fees from music users across categories including public performances, broadcasting, streaming, mechanical reproduction, and storage media compensation, then distributing royalties to rights holders after operational costs. Revenue is generated through transaction-based tariffs for performance and broadcasting licenses, subscription-based multi-territorial online licensing, and processing fees. The go-to-market combines self-serve digital channels, an inside-sales customer service center in Vienna, and direct key-account management for major broadcasters, venues, and digital platforms.

Name

AKM

Legal name

AKM eingetragene Genossenschaft mit beschränkter Haftung

Website

https://akm.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

AKM is Austria's government-authorized, non-profit collective rights management organization, representing 29,000+ music creators and licensing public performance, broadcasting, and digital rights to 75,000+ music users across Austria.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Rights Management

NAICS

Music Publishers (51223), Music Publishers (512230)

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), Music Rights Administration & Royalty Processing (Admin, Accounting, Statements) (MPAIAKAD), Royalty Accounting & Payment Services (Statements, Audits, Payee Management) (MPAIABAL), Global Rights Representation & Sub-Publishing/Reciprocal Collection Services (MPAIAKAI)

Keywords

• Music rights management
• Performance licensing
• Royalty distribution
• Copyright collection society
• Mechanical rights licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Wien

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Performance License Fees: AKM collects license fees from businesses, venues, and event organizers that use music publicly. Fees are based on the type and scale of use, distributed to rights holders as royalties. This is the core revenue stream for collective rights management.
2. Broadcasting and Online Licensing: Fees collected from radio and TV broadcasters, and online music services for the public performance and reproduction of musical works. Distributed to composers, lyricists, and publishers as royalties.
3. Mechanical Rights Licensing (austro mechana): Licensing of mechanical reproduction rights for music productions including sound recordings, CDs, digital downloads, and streaming. austro mechana handles the collective management of mechanical copyright.
4. Storage Media Compensation: Compensation fees collected on storage media devices (blank recording media) under Austrian copyright law, distributed to rights holders.
5. Membership Dues and Processing Fees: Processing fees for program registrations, international usage claims, and membership administration. AKM operates on a non-profit basis, passing revenues to members after operational costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

AKM operates as Austria's leading collective rights management organization for musical copyright, collecting license fees from music users (event organizers, venues, broadcasters, streaming platforms, producers) and distributing royalties to its 29,000+ member rights holders (composers, lyricists, and music publishers). The organization offers a digital service portal for work registration and royalty management, a mobile app with audio recognition for live performance reporting, and multi-territorial online licensing through its ICE partnership, all underpinned by its exclusive government authorization as Austria's official collecting society since 1946.

Product overview

AKM / austro mechana operates as Austria's leading collective management society for musical copyright, offering a comprehensive digital platform for composers, lyricists, and music publishers to manage their rights and collect royalties. The core product ecosystem consists of the Serviceportal (akm-aume.at) for member self-service (work registration, program/setlist reporting, royalty statements), a Mobile App for on-the-go program reporting via QR code scanning and audio-based live monitoring, and the 'Scan den Beat' feature. Supporting services include the Repertoiresuche for database lookups, program reporting tools for both domestic and foreign performances, and the 'Your Music Your Future' informational platform. The organization connects with international partners like ICE for multiterritorial online licensing, managing over 29,000 member rights and serving more than 75,000 customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Serviceportal (akm-aume.at) Online self-service portal for AKM and austro mechana members to register musical works, report programs/setlists, view royalty statements, manage licenses, and access repertoire search. Primary channel for music creators (composers, lyricists, publishers) to manage their rights and royalties.
• AKM Mobile App Mobile application enabling musicians and rights holders to report live performances via QR code scanning and audio-based live monitoring (Setlist-Monitoring) using the device microphone. The app extracts short audio analysis segments for comparison with reference data to identify performed musical works for accurate royalty calculation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9.9 million € in online music usage revenue in 2021 (20% increase year-over-year)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ICE (International Copyright Enterprise)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2023Starting January 2023, AKM partners with ICE for multi-territorial online licensing of Music On-Demand services. ICE is a joint venture of the three major European collective rights management organizations: GEMA (Germany), STIM (Sweden), and PRS for Music (UK). ICE processes billions of online music usages and has paid out over 2.9 billion € to rights holders. ICE Core represents over 330,000 rights holders and encompasses the online rights of BMI, GEMA, IMRO, PRS, STIM, and independent publishers including Concord, Downtown/Songtrust, and Peermusic.
• Sister Societies (International Collective Rights Organizations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAKM works with international sister collective rights management societies for cross-border rights management. Foreign performances are reported to sister societies for royalty collection. Societies include GEMA (Germany), SGAE (Spain), SIAE (Italy), PRS for Music (UK), and others. These partnerships enable AKM to represent its members' rights internationally and receive royalties from foreign music uses.
• Kultur.Region.NiederösterreichminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the 'Musik aus den Regionen' (Music from the Regions) event, which brought together approximately 150 participants from the music, media, and education sectors to discuss opportunities and challenges in the schlager and folk music genres.
• Austrian Composers Association (Austrian Composers)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in industry events and initiatives promoting Austrian music, including the 'Musik aus den Regionen' event and other advocacy initiatives for Austrian music creators.
• Austrian Music Council (Österreichischer Musikrat)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in advocacy for Austrian music visibility in media, particularly in radio and television, and in promoting music education and talent development.
• Austrian Brass Music Association (Österreichischer Blasmusikverband)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in events promoting Austrian folk and brass music genres and supporting the regional music ecosystem.
• GESAC (European Association of Scientific Coordination of Collective Management Organizations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAKM is a member of GESAC, the European grouping of collective management societies for copyright. AKM's General Director Gernot Graninger serves as GESAC President. GESAC commissioned a major study on music streaming that highlighted challenges for creators in the streaming market.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/akm.oesterreich
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/akm
• Instagraminstagram.com/akm.oesterreich

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 AKM