Digital Music Licensing

Digital Music Licensing is the process of licensing the use of copyrighted music in a digital format. It is intended to ensure that the copyright owners on musical works are compensated for certain uses of their work.
CAPASSO’s digital licences cater for all current and future forms of service types such as downloads, ringback tones, streaming, video on-demand and online radio.
Its partnership with the South African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO), accompanied by its established BIEM and CISAC membership, truly make it a convenient and efficient hub for digital licensing across the African continent.

Production Music Licensing

CAPASSO licenses music used on radio, TV, cinema, advertising, films, corporate video production, multimedia and more. What’s more, CAPASSO has blanket licenses with broadcasters that cover the use of production music in normal TV programming, such as documentaries, dramas, magazine programmes and in-house promos.
CAPASSO represents by far the largest catalogue of production music libraries in South Africa. From Universal Production Music, to Red Igloo, KPM (EMI), Sheer, West One, Music House Int, UTHOHT, Extreme (Sony), Gallo, Mathambo, Mama Dance, Bulletproof Bear, Foxglove Music, Lalela Music, D-Tuned, A.I.R., Mino Music and Slam.
We believe we are leaders in this fast-growing field. This is by far the most extensive body of music libraries totalling upwards of 3.5 million tracks, defined by their quality and diversity.

Broadcast Licensing

There will almost always be a reproduction or reformatting of musical works in television broadcasting. The CAPASSO Broadcaster licences caters for broadcasting platforms as well as independent channels on existing platforms. ​
The Broadcast blanket licenes gives users access to:

  • Complete CAPASSO production library catalogue
  • Commercial music usage (Under stipulated conditions)​

SABC, Multichoice and ETV have benefitted for many years from blanket licence arrangements with both performing rights and mechanical rights organisations.
*Please note, that any agreement entered into with CAPASSO will exclude the rights to the Master Sound Recording, which can be obtained directly from the record company or the producer

Physical Music Licensing

If you have recorded an album of cover versions and you now wish to make multiple CDs or DVDs, you are required in terms of the Copyright Act to obtain permission (a licence) from the copyright owner. We can assist you by providing you with such a licence.
CAPASSO ensures the onward payment of these licence fees, in the form of royalty payments, to the copyright owners.​
Mechanical Rights licensees would include corporate organisations wishing to give away Promotional CDs, companies commercially selling backing tracks for artist performances and independent record Labels requiring assistance in processing royalty payments to publishers and composers.

Ancillary Licensing

Ancillary licensing is the licensing of Online Radio, In-Store music, Jukebox and all other licensing areas which do not fall under the categories above. ​
The purpose of Ancilliary licensing is to compensate for all other manner of reproductions of musical works

Have Questions?

If you want to know more about us please explore our CAPASSO 101. It has all the solutions in QA form you required.