Skip to content

Music news, business and culture.

Join Newsletter

Southern African Music Rights Organisation

South Africa's largest music collecting society, formed in Johannesburg in 1961.

Based in
Johannesburg, South Africa
Founded
1961

The Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO) is South Africa’s largest music collecting society, formed in 1961 and based in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. It began operating in 1962, taking over performing-rights administration from the UK’s PRS.

SAMRO licenses music users, collects licence fees and distributes performing-rights royalties to composers, authors and publishers. It represents more than fifteen thousand Southern African music creators and publishers and is a central institution in the region’s rights economy.

More from South Africa

Full directory

Media

Ukhozi FM

isiZulu-language SABC station, founded in 1960 and among Africa's largest by listenership.

Durban, South Africa ukhozifm.co.za

Distributor

Ditto Music

UK independent distributor operating as Ditto Music Africa from South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria.

Liverpool, United Kingdom dittomusic.com

Pick your tempo

Who owns what, who got paid, and who is about to. The business behind African music, told like it is actually interesting (because it is).

  • The deals and catalogue sales nobody put out a press release for
  • Chart moves and streaming numbers we actually fact-checked (wild, we know)
  • Fresh names added to the directory, vetted before you ever see them

Free forever Ghost us anytime, one click

Get the inside track from Afrobeats Wire

Choose your speed. We will handle the rest.

How fast do you want it?

Your inbox is sacred. This address is used for the newsletter and nothing else, never sold, never passed on. Privacy policy.