Report and Claim Music Usage
With a claim, you can inform us about the use of your music in foreign radio, TV and online services. You can make the claim immediately after the performance has taken place. Also submit a claim when you know that your music has been or will be published as a recording in another country – even before the expected distribution.
What is a claim?
A claim is your notification to us that your music is being used abroad. With the help of claims, we supervise that foreign copyright societies collect and distribute royalties for the use of your music so that we can pay them to you. You do not need to submit a claim for the use of your music in Finland.
We deliver the received claims four times a year to our network of international copyright societies. We ask the societies to ensure that the collection and distribution of performing right royalties for these works is carried out correctly.
We suggest submitting a claim for example
- if you have composed music for a TV series or a film shown abroad
- if your music is performed on a foreign TV or radio channel or in a foreign online service
- if a physical record containing your music is published abroad
For live performances, a performance notification is enough
If you have performed abroad at a gig or a concert, all you need to do is submit a performance notification for your performance. A performance notification is submitted in the Performances section of our web service. You do not need to make a separate claim as we can collect the information required for the request from performance notifications.
For your own performances, ensure that the foreign event organiser provides the event information to the local copyright society. You can ensure this in connection with the performance contract, for example. If a foreign event organiser asks you to submit a foreign performance notification on site, you should nevertheless submit a performance notification in Teosto’s web service, too.
Also submit a performance notification to Teosto if someone else has performed your music abroad at gigs or concerts. For example, a composer can make a performance notification for a foreign orchestra performance of their work. In the performance notification, select Additional information on the performance abroad: My works have been performed abroad by another artist or orchestra and, in addition to other information, also enter Performer name.
Distribution schedule for royalties from abroad
In each country, copyright societies have their own distribution schedule and distribution rules, which vary from country to country. Generally, Teosto receives distributions for performances abroad 6–12 months after the performance. After this, we process the royalties and pay them to you no later than 6 months after we received them. However, it can take up to 1.5–2 years to receive royalties from abroad.
You can submit claims or complaints about performances abroad up to three years after the performance has taken place. Claims or complaints submitted after that will no longer be processed and royalties cannot be paid on the basis of them.