Związek Artystów Wykonawców STOART

What Związek Artystów Wykonawców STOART does

Związek Artystów Wykonawców STOART is a Polish non-profit collective management organization (CMO) established in 1994 under the Polish Copyright and Neighboring Rights Act of 4 February 1994. It is the largest CMO in Poland dedicated to protecting the neighboring rights of performing artists, representing over 700,000 Polish and foreign musicians, singers, and vocalists. STOART was founded jointly by three musicians' associations: Stowarzyszenie Polskich Artystów Muzyków (SPAM), the Polish Jazz Society (PSJ), and Stowarzyszenie Muzyków Rozrywkowych w Polsce (STOMUR). The organization is headquartered at ul. Nowy świat 64, Warsaw, and operates with a small staff of 24 employees.

STOART's core activity is collective licensing and royalty distribution. It issues licenses to, and collects fees from, three principal demand segments: broadcasters (radio, TV, and digital multiplexes), public-venue operators (clubs, discos, shopping malls, restaurants, pubs, hotels, and similar commercial establishments playing music), and blank-media distributors under Poland's "clean media" levy. License fees are set under rate tables approved by the Komisja Prawa Autorskiego (KPA), with 23% VAT applied since April 2011. STOART also engages in international reciprocal representation through AEPO-ARTIS, SCAPR, and bilateral agreements, enabling cross-border royalty flows for Polish artists abroad and foreign artists in Poland.

The technology stack is a proprietary, rule-based digital system for assembling and processing data about artistic performance recordings, capable of handling tracks involving up to 100 performers. This system underpins three self-service portals: eWykonawca.pl (launched July 2016 for registered performers to view real-time royalty accounts), eLicencja.pl (for licensees managing public performance agreements), and Cantilena (a grant management system for the Promotional Fund). The organization complements licensing with member services including free legal consultations, a Social Fund for hardship assistance, and a Promotional Fund supporting artistic projects. STOART distributes services through a nationwide regional inspector network for compliance and licensing enforcement, direct digital channels via its portals, and centralized office-based member support in Warsaw.

Name

Związek Artystów Wykonawców STOART

Legal name

Związek Artystów Wykonawców STOART

Website

https://stoart.org.pl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

STOART is a Polish non-profit collective management organization, founded in 1994, that protects neighboring rights and distributes royalties to over 700,000 performing artists by licensing broadcasters, public-venue operators, and media producers under Poland's Copyright Act.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Rights Management

NAICS

Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (711410)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAIAKAC

Neighboring Rights Collection (Sound Recording Performance Rights)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Music Rights & Royalty Services (PROs, Collection, Royalty Accounting)

SECONDARYMPAIAKAD

Music Rights Administration & Royalty Processing (Admin, Accounting, Statements)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Music Rights & Royalty Services (PROs, Collection, Royalty Accounting)

SECONDARYMPAIAKAA

Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) & Public Performance Licensing

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Music Rights & Royalty Services (PROs, Collection, Royalty Accounting)

SECONDARYMPAIAKAI

Global Rights Representation & Sub-Publishing/Reciprocal Collection Services

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Music Rights & Royalty Services (PROs, Collection, Royalty Accounting)

SECONDARYMPAIABAE

Performance Rights Administration (PRO Affiliation, Cue Sheet/Setlist Processing)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Music Publishing (Songwriting, Rights Administration, Licensing)

Keywords

• Collective rights management
• Performing artists royalties
• Neighboring rights protection
• Music licensing services
• Public performance licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Warsaw

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Licensing Fees - Broadcasters: STOART collects royalties from broadcasters including radio stations, TV channels, and digital multiplexes based on signed license agreements for the use of artistic performances.
2. Licensing Fees - Public Venues: Royalties collected from businesses that publicly perform artistic works, including clubs, discos, shopping malls, restaurants, pubs, hotels, and other commercial establishments where music is integral to the business.
3. Royalties for Reproduction (Blank Media): Royalties collected for the so-called 'clean media' (czyste nośniki) — blank recording media — under Polish copyright law.
4. International Reciprocal Representation: STOART collects royalties for foreign performers through reciprocal agreements with similar organizations worldwide, and distributes Polish performers' royalties abroad through the same network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

STOART is a Polish collective management organization that licenses artistic performances and collects/distributes royalties to performing artists. It operates as a CMO under Polish copyright law, collecting fees from broadcasters, public venues, and other commercial music users, then distributing royalties to over 700,000 represented Polish and foreign performing artists through its proprietary digital tracking and payout systems.

Product overview

STOART is a collective management organization offering a suite of digital platforms and services for performers' rights management. The core offerings include eWykonawca.pl (performer revenue account platform), eLicencja.pl (licensee portal), and Cantilena (grant management system). These are complemented by licensing services for public performance/broadcasting and two support funds—Fundusz Socjalny (financial assistance) and Fundusz Promocyjny (promotional funding). The organization manages royalties collection and distribution for over 700,000 Polish and foreign artists across fixation, reproduction, public performance, broadcasting, and rebroadcasting rights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• eWykonawca: Online platform giving registered performers access to their individual revenue accounts
• eLicencja
• Cantilena
• STOMUR
• SPAM
• PSJ

Products and services

• eWykonawca.pl Online platform for STOART-registered performers to access individual revenue accounts, view royalty information, and manage their artistic performance data.
• eLicencja.pl Self-service portal for licensees and users who have signed licensing agreements with STOART for public performance, broadcasting, or rebroadcasting of artistic performances.
• Cantilena (System Obsługi Dotacji) Online grant management system for the Promotional Fund, allowing STOART members to submit and manage funding applications for artistic projects online.
• Licensing and Royalty Management Collective management of performers' neighboring rights including licensing for public performance, broadcasting, rebroadcasting, fixation, reproduction, and distribution of royalties to artists.
• Fundusz Socjalny (Social Fund) Financial assistance program providing grants and loans to STOART members experiencing difficult personal circumstances.
• Fundusz Promocyjny (Promotional Fund) Funding program supporting artistic projects, album productions, festival participations, and promotional activities for STOART members.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 700,000 Polish and foreign performing artists protected through collective rights management.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AEPO-ARTIS (Association of European Performers' Organizations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTOART actively participates in AEPO-ARTIS proceedings, contributing to European-level policy discussions on performers' rights protection and collective management.
• SCAPR (Societies Council for the Administration of Performers Rights)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTOART actively participates in SCAPR proceedings. In June 2013, a STOART delegation attended the SCAPR Symposium in Osaka, Japan. SCAPR brings together performers' rights organizations globally to address common challenges.
• Stowarzyszenie Polskich Artystów Muzyków (SPAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPAM is one of the three founding organizations of STOART. SPAM represents classical music performers and is a founding member of the STOART collective management organization.
• Polskie Stowarzyszenie Jazzowe (PSJ) / Polish Jazz SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPSJ is one of the three founding organizations of STOART, representing jazz musicians and contributing to the jazz community's rights protection within the collective management framework.
• Stowarzyszenie Muzyków Rozrywkowych w Polsce STOMURcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTOMUR is one of the three founding organizations of STOART, representing Polish entertainment musicians. STOMUR is an association of entertainment music performers (musicians, singers, disc jockeys) with professional qualifications in popular, dance, and rock music.
• Global Network of Foreign Collective Management OrganizationscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSTOART has signed contracts for mutual representation with similar organizations around the world. This enables collection of Polish artists' royalties when their works are used abroad, and collection of foreign artists' royalties in Poland.
• FAIR INTERNET for performers (Global Campaign)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTOART participates in the global FAIR INTERNET campaign for performers, advocating for better rights protection and fair compensation for performing artists in the digital environment.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• SCAPR (Societies Council for the Administration of Performers Rights): International umbrella body of which STOART is a member. Not a peer CMO but a directly comparable industry association that sets standards and facilitates reciprocal exchange across national performer-rights CMOs.

Direct peers

• Stowarzyszenie Autorów ZAiKS: Polish collective management organization for authors, composers, and stage creators — STOART's explicit partner and complementary CMO. ZAiKS handles author/composer rights while STOART handles performer rights, making them the most directly comparable Polish CMO peer.
• SAWP (Stowarzyszenie Artystów Wykonawców Utworów Muzycznych i Słowno-Muzycznych): Competing Polish collective management organization representing performers' neighboring rights. Directly comparable to STOART as a domestic peer CMO in the same rights category, competing for mandate and licensees.

Regional players

• GRAMO (Norway): Norwegian collective management organization for performers' neighboring rights. Similar rights mandate and SCAPR/AEPO-ARTIS membership to STOART, providing a Nordic comparison for governance and royalty-flow design.
• GRAMEX (Denmark): Danish collective management organization for performers' neighboring rights. Operates the same rights categories as STOART but in a different national market; directly comparable in terms of mandate, services, and SCAPR membership.
• RAYS (Azerbaijan): Azerbaijani performer-rights CMO with which STOART signed a new reciprocal agreement in 2026. Operates an analogous neighboring-rights mandate in a different national market, making it a regional peer for cross-border collection.
• GVL (Germany): German collective management organization for performers and producers' neighboring rights. Largest European neighboring-rights CMO and a direct analog to STOART's mandate, though at meaningfully larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• PPL (UK, now PPL PRS Ltd): UK-based collective management organization handling neighboring rights for performers and record companies. Operates the same rights categories as STOART but as a larger, more established performer-and-label CMO with broader international reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@STOART_ZAW
• Facebookfacebook.com/stoartzaw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stoart
• Instagraminstagram.com/stoart_zaw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Związek Artystów Wykonawców STOART