You will find below procedures for protecting (Musicstart service) and for registering your works with Sacem.
MUSICSTART: A WAY TO PROTECT YOUR WORKS*
If you have just created a work or your work is in the process of being created and you wish to arrange for its protection** by creating a proof of anteriority: we encourage you to use the Musicstart service. It will allow you to establish the anteriority of your works, even unfinished ones, in order to prove your authorship with a certificate guaranteed for life. This service is free of charge.
Musicstart replaces provisional works registrations.
* By having proof of anteriority of your creations.
**Under French law, a work is protected by the mere fact of its creation, provided that it is original.
Please note: The works you have listed in Musicstart are visible in the "My creations" section of Musicstart. Your listings in Musicstart do not appear in the "Consult my works" and "Download my works" sections of your member account. Only works registered with Sacem (title, participants, rights split, etc.) appear in these sections.
> To list a work in Musicstart, go to your member account (My dashboard / Protect a work with Musicstart)
> Check out the tutorial: how to protect your works with Musicstart?
> Questions and answers on Musicstart
Please be aware: Listing a work in Musicstart does not mean you will receive royalties. You must also register your work with Sacem as soon as the title is definitive, all the participants have been identified and the royalty split has been finalised. Do this as soon as possible before the first listening or broadcasting of your work by following the procedures below.
REGISTER WORKS WITH SACEM TO BENEFIT FROM ROYALTY DISTRIBUTION
Online registration
Provisional works registrations has been eliminated and replaced with the Musicstart service.
Unpublished works (except for specific works noted below) must be registered online.
Published works should preferably be registered online (see below “Registration of published works").
> Login to your member account (My dashboard/Register a work online).
> Check out the tutorial on registering works online.
Registration with a form
Must be registered with a form the following works:
Specific works
Arrangement, Adaptation, Work with author and/or composer in the public domain, Work using copyright-free text or music, Symphonic, electroacoustic and contemporary music, Musical story, Parody, Work over 15 minutes.
- Use the form 726bis (+ annex, if any, to download on « Documents and brochures »).
- Return it by post to: Sacem – 225 avenue Charles-de-Gaulle – 92528 Neuilly-sur-Seine Cedex, France.
Or deposited at Sacem’s head office in Neuilly-sur-Seine – France: letter trays are available at reception. If you require special assistance, you can also book an appointment with us.
Trailer and advertising
Trailer
- Use the forms 725bis or 726bis and 719
Send your declaration by mail at repartition.tv@sacem.fr
Advertising
- Use the form 763bis
Send your declaration by mail at depot.pub@sacem.fr
Files sent must be in PDF format (we do not accept JPEG or PNG image files or photos). If possible, please send us a single PDF containing all the documents for a single declaration (one PDF file per work).
Audiovisual productions
Audiovisual productions, videos, musical documentary.
- Use the form 780bis, 701bis or 712bis
- Send your declaration by mail at auteur.realisateur@sacem.fr.
To avoid overloading the system, video files are not required at this stage. Where possible, please provide links to platforms such as Vimeo or YouTube. Otherwise, please specify a date and a TV channel to facilitate our search.
Files sent must be in PDF format (we do not accept JPEG or PNG image files or photos). If possible, please send us a single PDF containing all the documents for a single declaration (one PDF file per work).
Dubbing/subtitling
- Use the form 713bis
- Send your declaration by mail at doublage.soustitrage@sacem.fr.
Files sent must be in PDF format (we do not accept JPEG or PNG image files or photos). If possible, please send us a single PDF containing all the documents for a single declaration (one PDF file per work).
Registration of music for film and series episode
1. Register your original works online
2. Fill in the cue sheet listing all the music used in the film or series episode
3. Send us the completed cue sheet by email at audiovisual.documentation@sacem.fr
> Consult the dedicated guide
> Download the cue-sheet
Registration of published works
Published works should preferably be registered online.
Login to your member account (My dashboard / Register a work online).
It is still possible to file a paper form using form 725bis or 711bis.
Files to be attached
Music: The submission of a sound file or score is optional* except for registrations of the following genres: arrangement on public domain, music tale, illustrative music, jazz improvisation, symphonic and electroacoustic music, film and series music, advertising.
Text: The submission of the text is optional* for songs but is compulsory for the registration of the following genres: parody, sketch, opinion text, presentation text, chronicle, poem.
Publishing contract: In the case of a registration with a form, the submission is optional unless the registration form is signed only by the publisher(s) (see notice on partial registration of works). In the case of an online registration, the submission is optional.
Co-publishing agreement: Submission is required.
*In cases where the delivery of the sound file or the score and/or the text is optional, we encourage you to use, in addition, the Musicstart service in order to have a proof of anteriority of your works.
Published March 15 2023