Music in film productions

Do any of your film productions contain music? To be able to use the music, you must ensure that you have the necessary rights.

This applies to all audiovisual works (feature films, short films, series, diashows, documentaries, etc.) and all forms of public use (TV, cinemas, festivals, video on demand, DVDs, etc.)

If you are planning to produce a video and make it publicly available, follow this link.

How to acquire the necessary music rights:

• Existing music: synchronisation rights must be obtained from the authors or their representatives, as well as from the label if the music was published on vinyl, CD or on streaming platforms. You must do this before the film is produced.
• Commissioned music: if you are commissioning music from a composer, the rights of use must be regulated by a contract. If the composer belongs to a collective management organisation, SUISA manages the authors’ rights.
• Production music: beware of purportedly free music from websites. Certain providers claim that all rights are included, but that is not always true. SUISA manages the rights for uses in Switzerland and Liechtenstein in particular.
  Production music specificities: No further action required as regards synchronisation rights. Favour our contract partners of production music to avoid paying twice for rights.

How to proceed:

Select the kind of film distribution.

Fill in the online form to apply for the right licence. You can save the form and finish filling it in later.

After checking your application, SUISA issues you an invoice. The licence is valid as soon as payment is received.

From the payment proceeds, SUISA distributes the corresponding royalties to the entitled composers, lyricists, and publishers.