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HELP CENTER

What You Need to Know

Will a license with Gresham Rights Management increase my music licensing costs?

No, a license agreement with GRM shouldn’t increase your cost of performing music, GRM’s works on a pay per play basis & bills its clients in arrears based on the user’s usage reports. Our tariffs have been benchmarked against those fees that exist in the market already. Effectively there should be an equalization (based on the market share) of tariffs between GRM & other interested rights collectors.

What music does GRM represent? 

GRM is the exclusive representative for SESAC & The Harry Fox Agency in Africa, representing over 400 000 copyrights in music by composers, authors & publishers. SESAC (owned by Blackstone Group) represents the Copyrights of more than 400 000 songs on behalf of its 30,000 affiliated songwriters, composers and music publishers, which include such familiar names as Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, RUSH, Zac Brown, Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum, The Avett Brothers, Shirley Caesar, Paul Shaffer and Thompson Square. SESAC has long represented the music on some of TV’s biggest shows including Grey’s Anatomy, How I Met Your Mother, Parenthood, Dateline NBC, Dr. Phil, Seinfeld, and The Doctors, among many others and is the PRO of choice among many of Hollywood's most sought-after film and television composers such as Christophe Beck, Danny Lux, Jon Ehrlich, Dennis C. Brown, Bruce Miller and Paul Shaffer. 

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  1. It’s essential that you familiarise yourself with a full .pdf list of the SESAC repertoire, which includes the GRM repertoire, available for download here: https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/f1i8xXhRJp

  2. Should you wish to search for specific works by either writer or publisher, please visit: https://www.sesac.com/#!/repertory/terms-of-service

  3. The information contained above serves as notice that the recipient has received a comprehensive listing of GRM’s repertoire & is now aware that any usage of the musical works contained herein, without the necessary licences from GRM, will be an infringement of GRM’s copyright.

What is the difference between a SAMRO license & a GRM license?

Both organisations represent the performing rights of their respective members & principals, whilst they both issue these licenses, they are for different catalogs of repertoire & both licenses will now be required to comply with the Copyright laws of South Africa.

What if I chose not to enter into a licensing agreement with GRM?

There is no law that says you have to enter into a compulsory license agreement with any organization in South Africa for performing rights. However, if the user chooses not to enter into a license with GRM, it may not perform any of GRM’s repertoire. We strongly discourage this approach, as the nature of the copyright in music is extremely fragmented & most songs will have multiple rights owners. If you chose to play a song that GRM represents without the necessary license, your business will be in infringing upon our copyright which is an offense in South Africa and if you are a broadcaster this may place your license to broadcast at risk.

Is GRM a government organization & what does it do?

No, there is no government organization that represents the issuance of performing rights in South Africa. GRM is a PTY Limited company established in 2019, its function as a music publisher is the direct licensing, administration & collection of music rights.

What happens if GRM & other performing rights representatives/rightsholders make a claim on the same musical work in copyright?

GRM is committed to a transparent process of licensing & collections on behalf of its principals, and in the unlikely event that GRM along with another claimant make a claim on the same musical work in copyright, the user may select/opt to place the royalties due into an escrow account with its attorneys for the specific musical work until the dispute has been settled between the conflicting parties.

Who needs a GRM license in South Africa? If your business operates in any of the below manners or industries & uses music, we highly recommend you enter into a performing rights license agreement with both GRM & SAMRO

  • Aircraft

  • Amusement Arcades, parks, and Fairgrounds

  • Audio Visual Programs used for Educational or Training Purposes

  • Banqueting Suites

  • Beer halls and Beer gardens

  • Boarding Houses

  • Choirs and Vocal Ensembles

  • Cinema Movies

  • Clubs

  • Community Radio Broadcasting Services

  • Dance Halls

  • Dancing Schools

  • Disco

  • Gymnasia and Fitness Centers

  • Hair Dressing Salons and Barber Shops

  • Halls

  • Hostels

  • Hotels

  • Hotels Restaurants and Similar Premises

  • Ice Rink, Ice Shows Where Shows are Given by Non-Musical Artists

  • Incidental and, or Certain Music

  • Incidental Music for Religious Service

  • Industrial Premises and Factories, Canteens, etc

  • Juke Boxes

  • Live Music Performance

  • Motels

  • Motor Coaches, Taxi and Mini Buses

  • Municipal Facilities and Stadiums

  • Music Concerts

  • Music on Hold

  • Non-Paying Concerts

  • Pubs and Similar Premises

  • Race Tracks and Stadiums

  • Radio and Television Broadcasting Services

  • Radio and Television Diffusion Services

  • Radio Outside Broadcasts

  • Raves and Dance Parties

  • Recorded Music as an Accompaniment to Cabaret, Dancing, or Floor Shows

  • Restaurants, Cafes, Coffee Shops, and Similar Premises

  • Ringtone or Ring Back Tone

  • Roadhouses, Takeaways, and Similar premises

  • Shops, Stores, Showrooms, Offices, Banks, and Similar Premises

  • Taverns, shebeens, and similar premises

  • Tenting or Static Circuses

  • Universities and Colleges

  • Waiting Rooms and Reception Areas

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