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Tell us what you do and where you live. We show which society to join, what it asks for, what it costs and where to apply.

Step 3 · your societies

Songwriter — living in Spain

As a songwriter

Join this society in Spain

Writers generally join one authors' society for a given territory and right. That society collects your writer share from other countries through its agreements with sister societies, so you don't join a second one for the same rights.

SGAE

Sociedad General de Autores y Editores · Spain

Your home society

Who can join: Songwriters, Publishers
Joining fee: €15 one-off ('un único abono de 15€ como alta'). VAT treatment not stated.
Yearly fee: None. After the €15, SGAE says 'Nunca más otro pago' (never another payment). Registering works is free for members.
Processing time: Not published (SGAE says filling in the online form takes under 15 minutes)

Apply online: Partly. Authors apply online through 'alta online' (adults only; minors apply in person). Publishers apply by email to editores@sgae.es or socios@sgae.es.
Members from abroad: SGAE says that if you live outside Spain, whatever your nationality, it can manage your rights worldwide (on its performing-arts international page). You must declare any link to another authors' society.

Who is eligible

Authors must declare at least one work of their own that has already been made public (divulgada).
Eligible works (music): compositions with or without lyrics, soundtracks for audiovisual works, and jokes, sketches and monologues.
Music publishers: a publishing, co-publishing or sub-publishing contract for at least one work, plus IAE tax registration for music publishing.
Minors: the application must be signed by a mother, father or legal guardian.

What to have ready0 of 3 ready

Authors: declaration of one already-public work, your professional group(s), any link to another rights society, and any pseudonym you use.
Publishers: CIF card, DNI/NIE or passport of representatives, current-year IAE (heading 476.9), registered deed of incorporation, publishing contract.
After the file is complete and the admission fee is paid, you sign the documentation and the management contract (contrato de gestión).

Apply at SGAE ↗

Sources and notes

Alternative to membership: 'mero administrado'. SGAE manages your rights but you are not a member and get no services, benefits or grants.

Your member number gives you access to SGAE's Sede Electrónica, where you register further works.

SGAE reports 6,600 members living outside Spain, across 102 countries.

Sources — SGAE's own pages, read on 2026-10-06. Fees and rules change: the society's site is the reference.

How we chose these

Your home society comes first: it is the one you join for the rights listed. The joining details come from each society's own website, read on the date shown on its card. Countries we haven't checked yet show the society from our worldwide directory, with a link to its site.

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Why join?

Songwriters

Societies pay the writers registered with them. If you write songs and aren't a member of an authors' society, your writer share of radio, TV, live and streaming plays can't reach you. It sits unidentified until it is claimed, or is shared out to others.

Performers

When a recording you are on is broadcast or played in public, performers are owed a share (neighbouring rights). It is paid through performers' societies, and registering is how it finds you.

Producers and publishers

Master owners collect their share of the same plays through producers' societies. Publishers collect the publisher share of the songs through the authors' society. Both collect through a society membership.

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