You don’t make music for nothing

Music is an essential part of our day-to-day lives and a determining factor in the success of many shops, restaurants, cafés, radio stations and television programs. If you as an artist, session musician or producer have worked on that music, you are entitled to receive payment.

Why and how should I register?
Why?

Musicians and artists in general are entitled to receive payment if their works is used in public. For example, has your music been broadcast on radio and/or television? If so, you are probably entitled to receive payment. So join up and get what you deserve! Registration is free and easy.

My Right

In the near future, once you’ve registered, you will receive your own personal Rsau account, which you can use to logging in via the log in page of the MyRight online portal very soon. On MyRight, you will be adding your repertoire and view invoices, among other things.

Are you an artist and/or producer?

An artist is, among other things, a member of a band, orchestra or choir, or a singer, session musician or conductor. A producer has final financial responsibility for a recording and is the owner of the master tape.
Join now

Once you’re a RSAU member and your work is registered on our database, we’ll be able to claim royalties on your behalf when your music is used. Each registered work will be given its own unique tune code, which we use to identify when it’s been used.

If you’re not a member, you can take a look around to see how works are managed in our and the importance of joining the Society. You should also look at what we do before making your way to join us.

We can only distribute royalties for the use of works that have been documented at the society.
As a writer or composer, you can register your own works and amend the details at any time.
You’ll need to enter the following information to register a work:

• title of work
• name and writer of any existing work that’s been sampled or remixed
• duration and instrumentation, if a classical or dramatic work

The following information isn’t mandatory. However, it will help us to collect for the use of your work:

• duration
• any alternative titles

You’ll be given a reference when you submit your work details, followed by a unique tune code for each work.

RSAU`s ROLE
At any given moment, numerous musical works are being used in a variety of ways.  For music users, the ideal is to be able to get permission from the right owners to use any musical work as quickly and as effortlessly as possible.
For copyright owners, on the other hand, the ideal is to choose an organization with a system that is able to efficiently collect royalties from a full range of music users.
In this fast-changing copyright administration environment, RSAU, with the public trust and knowhow that have been cultivated for more than seven decades, is committed to develop a comprehensive range of service, using a variety of databases and licensing systems, that will satisfy the needs of both copyright owners and music users.

What follows is a general outline of requirements for any composer/author wishing to become a member of RSAU for administration of his/her musical copyrights by RSAU.

• He/she must hold copyrights to one or more musical works which have been or are definitely to be publicly released by another party in Rwanda in printed or recorded form, through broadcast or performance or by similar means within the past year.
• The base of his/her copyright activities must be in Rwanda or otherwise agreed upon.
• He/she must hold a recognize Identity as per the Law.
• He/she must agree with RSAU’s basic objectives prescribed in the RSAU’s Constitution. He/she may entrust RSAU with all of his/her music copyrights, or choose to entrust only certain portions of his/her copyrights in accordance with the categories of rights delineated in the Stipulations for Intellectual Property Law.  The membership application fee for composers and authors is currently free of charge.

For further details, please refer to the “Constitution of the Society and The Intellectual Property Law“

Membership Affairs
Admission Criteria
Writer Member (including composers and authors)

1. A holder of a Rwandan Identity Card (RID), or Passport for foreigner (PS);
2. Original composer and/or lyricist; and
   Meeting one of the following two conditions:
3. At least ONE original created work having been commercially released e.g. CD/DVD released
4. One original created work having been publicly performed, broadcast or made available at RSAU recognized venues.

*Applicants are suggested to contact Membership Department for enquiries

Successor Member

According to the Law in Rwanda, copyright lasts for a period of 50 years from the end of the calendar year in which the author passes away. Therefore, heir of a deceased RSAU member is eligible to apply for successor membership. Applicants are required to submit a birth certificate issued by the Authority of Rwanda upon application.

1. 1. Costs

No subscription or annual fee is required yet.

1. 1. Full & Associate Member

Member will normally be admitted as an Associate Member upon joining. Once he/she earns approval from the board, he/she will become a Full Member per that calendar year.

An Associate Member shall have the same rights and privileges as a Full Member but shall not be entitled to vote at any General Meeting, and to nominate or being nominated in the election of Directors.

1. Reciprocal Representation Agreement

RSAU has signed reciprocal representation agreements with different similar Societies throughout the world with the objective to protect the rights of composers and authors in each other’s territories.