SOKOJ

What SOKOJ does

SOKOJ (Sokoj – Organizacija muzičkih autora Srbije) is the sole legally authorized collective rights organization for music authors in Serbia, established in 1950 and headquartered at Mišarska 12-14, Belgrade. The organization manages copyright for composers, lyricists, arrangers, and other rights holders, issuing blanket licenses for the public use of musical works and collecting copyright fees from music users — radio and TV broadcasters, hospitality venues, concert and festival organizers, cinemas, public spaces, and digital/streaming services. Tariffs are published schedules approved by the Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Serbia. After deducting only actual operating costs, SOKOJ distributes the collected fees to rights holders; up to 10% is allocated to the Cultural Donations Fund, which supports Serbian music creation through grants, recordings, and festivals.

Technically, SOKOJ operates a collective copyright management platform comprising a member database, the Repertoar Sokoja repertoire search system, and a suite of category-specific web portals — Member Portal, Broadcaster Portal, Rebroadcaster Portal, Cinema Portal, Public Communication Portal, and Public Performance Portal — alongside dedicated call centers and a field-controller network for compliance verification. It is a CISAC member since 1956 and a BIEM member since 1959, providing reciprocal access to 225 societies in 110 countries and over 4.5 million foreign authors. The organization additionally manages the Legat Josipa Slavenskog memorial music room (opened 1983), holds ISO 9001:2015 and ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certifications, and is member-governed through an Assembly, Managing Board, Supervisory Board, and Authors' Council.

Name

SOKOJ

Legal name

Sokoj – Organizacija muzičkih autora Srbije

Website

https://sokoj.rs

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SOKOJ is Serbia's sole authorized collective rights organization for music authors, licensing public use of musical works and distributing royalties to 12,000+ domestic and 4.5 million+ foreign authors via CISAC and BIEM reciprocal agreements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Rights Management (Collective Copyright Administration)

NAICS

Music Publishers (51223), Music Publishers (512230)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Music Rights Administration & Royalty Processing (Admin, Accounting, Statements) (MPAIAKAD), Global Rights Representation & Sub-Publishing/Reciprocal Collection Services (MPAIAKAI), Performance Rights Administration (PRO Affiliation, Cue Sheet/Setlist Processing) (MPAIABAE), Mechanical Rights Collection & Licensing (MROs/CMOs) (MPAIAKAB)

Keywords

• Music rights management
• Copyright licensing
• Royalty collection
• Collective rights organization
• Music author representation

Headquarters

HQ city

Belgrade

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Copyright Licensing Fees: SOKOJ collects copyright fees from music users (businesses, broadcasters, venues) for the use of musical works from their repertoire. Fees are collected based on published tariffs approved by the Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Serbia. The organization is a non-profit - after deducting actual operating costs, all collected funds are distributed to domestic and foreign authors.
2. Cultural Donations Fund: A portion (up to 10%) of collected copyright fees is allocated to the Cultural Donations Fund, which supports music creation and cultural projects by Serbian composers. This is mandated by statute and approved by the Managing Board.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SOKOJ (the Organization of Music Authors of Serbia) is a non-profit collective rights organization that licenses the legal public performance, broadcasting, and reproduction of domestic and international musical works in Serbia. It collects licensing fees from music users and distributes the resulting royalties to its more than 12,000 domestic music-author members and to foreign authors represented through reciprocal agreements covering over 4.5 million works. The organization operates under Article 155 of the Serbian Law on Copyright and Related Rights and has been active since 1950.

Product overview

SOKOJ (Sokoj – Organizacija muzičkih autora Srbije) is Serbia's collective copyright management organization for music authors. The organization operates as a unified platform offering multiple interconnected services: licensing and royalty collection for music users (businesses, broadcasters, event organizers), royalty distribution to over 12,000 domestic and 4.5 million foreign music authors, and cultural development through its Cultural Donations Fund. SOKOJ provides specialized web portals for different user segments (members, broadcasters, cinemas, public venues, event organizers), a searchable repertoire database, and manages the Legat Josipa Slavenskog cultural facility. The organization has been operating for over 75 years and is a member of international bodies CISAC and BIEM.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Legat Josipa Slavenskog: A memorial music room preserving the legacy of composer Josip Slavenski, featuring his personal items, manuscripts, piano, library, and concert space for promoting Serbian musical creation.

Products and services

• Music Licensing for Commercial Users Statutory licenses for the public performance, broadcasting, and reproduction of copyrighted music, sold to commercial music users in Serbia such as radio and television broadcasters, concert and event organizers, public-venue operators, restaurants, retailers, and other establishments. The license covers both domestic works and represented foreign works under reciprocal agreements.
• Royalty Collection and Distribution Collection of licensing fees from commercial music users and distribution of the resulting royalties to member authors and to foreign rightsholders via reciprocal agreements, based on reported usage of works.
• Author Rights Protection and Legal Enforcement Legal protection and enforcement of the economic rights of member music authors against unauthorized use of their works, including intervention in infringement cases in Serbia.
• International Repertoire Representation Representation of the domestic Serbian repertoire abroad and administration of the foreign repertoire of more than 4.5 million foreign authors in Serbia through reciprocal agreements with sister collective rights organizations affiliated with CISAC and BIEM.
• Member Author Services Membership services for more than 12,000 domestic music authors, including registration of works, online self-service access via the member portal, royalty statements, and ongoing rights administration support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Collects and distributes royalties from thousands of music users annually to over 12,000 domestic authors
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

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.

• BIEM (International Bureau for the Rights of Mechanical Reproduction)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1959SOKOJ has been a member of BIEM since 1959. BIEM manages international rights for mechanical reproduction of musical works (recording, reproduction on physical and digital media).
• CISAC (International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1956SOKOJ has been a member of CISAC since 1956. CISAC is the global umbrella organization for collective copyright management societies. Through CISAC membership, SOKOJ connects to a network of 225 copyright societies in 110 countries representing over 5 million authors.
• Radio Beograd 2coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOKOJ and Radio Beograd 2 jointly organize the 'Studio Slavenski' concert series, broadcast live from the Legat Slavenski concert hall on the last Thursday of each month.
• Muzička omladina Srbije (Musical Youth of Serbia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint organization of the 'Mladi za mlade' (Young for Young) concert series in Legat Slavenski, supporting young musicians through cultural projects.
• Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Serbia (Zavod za intelektualnu svojinu)coreOthersGovernment regulatory body that oversees SOKOJ's operations, approves tariffs, and ensures compliance with copyright law. SOKOJ operates under government supervision.
• Kulturni centar Beograda (Belgrade Cultural Center)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation on cultural events. SOKOJ's Cultural Donations Fund supports events organized by the Belgrade Cultural Center, such as the Dani Orgulja (Organ Days) festival.
• International Copyright Societies (through reciprocal agreements)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOKOJ maintains reciprocal agreements with foreign copyright societies, enabling collection and distribution of royalties between Serbia and other countries. This provides Serbian authors access to international royalties and foreign authors protection in Serbia.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BMI: US-based PRO competing with ASCAP in the same collective rights management role for music authors. Directly comparable to SOKOJ in business model (licensing, collection, distribution) though operating in a much larger market.
• JASRAC: Japan's PRO, one of the largest collective management organizations in Asia. Performs the same rights administration, licensing, and royalty distribution role as SOKOJ, with shared CISAC membership.
• ASCAP: US-based PRO performing the same collective rights management function for music authors as SOKOJ — licensing public performance, collecting fees, and distributing royalties. Comparable business model despite different geographic jurisdiction.
• SACEM: France's PRO handling collective rights management for music authors and publishers. Operates the same mandate, tariff-based licensing, and reciprocal royalty collection model as SOKOJ, and is co-member of CISAC.
• SUISA: Switzerland's PRO for music authors and publishers. Performs identical collective rights management, licensing, and royalty distribution as SOKOJ, with shared CISAC membership and similar small-market European profile.
• SIAE: Italy's PRO representing music authors. Performs identical collective management of copyright, licensing, and royalty distribution functions as SOKOJ, with shared CISAC/BIEM membership and similar European regulatory framework.
• PRS for Music: UK-based PRO that performs the same collective management function for music authors as SOKOJ — licensing public performance, broadcasting, and online music usage; collecting royalties; and distributing to members. Both are CISAC members operating the same business model in different jurisdictions.
• GEMA: Germany's PRO, one of the largest collective management organizations in the world. Performs the identical licensing and royalty distribution role for music authors as SOKOJ, and shares CISAC/BIEM membership. GEMA is a useful scale benchmark for SOKOJ's potential.

Regional players

• HDS - Hrvatsko društvo skladatelja: Croatia's PRO, the closest geographic and cultural peer to SOKOJ. Performs identical collective rights management for music authors in a neighboring ex-Yugoslav market; useful comparable for trajectory and scale.
• SOZA - Slovenský ochranný zväz autorský: Slovakia's PRO performing the same collective rights management function for music authors as SOKOJ. Operates in a small Central European market with similar population scale and regulatory framework to Serbia.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Sokoj
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sokoj

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 SOKOJ