A Polish business playing music needs a ZAiKS licence for the authors and pays remuneration for recordings to ZPAV (producers) and STOART or SAWP (performers).
| Who | What for | |
|---|---|---|
| ZAiKS | Stowarzyszenie Autorów ZAiKS | Authors, composers and publishers |
| ZPAV | Związek Producentów Audio Video | Phonogram and videogram producers |
| STOART | Stowarzyszenie Artystów Wykonawców Utworów Muzycznych i Słowno Muzycznych | Music performers |
| SAWP | Stowarzyszenie Artystów Wykonawców | Performers |
ZAiKS grants a licence agreement for public playback of music in premises, applied for online through its portal. Separately, performers and producers have a right to remuneration for playback of commercially released recordings (articles 86(3) and 94(5) of the Copyright Act), collected by ZPAV, STOART and SAWP.
The ZAiKS fee depends on the venue type, town size and number of venues or devices, and is computed by an online calculator. Neighbouring rights tariffs are separate.
No official ZAiKS café example was available, so no amount is given here.
Consumer plans of Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube are licensed for personal, noncommercial use under their own terms, so a private account is not a license to play music to customers. Article 24(2) of the Polish Act allows reception of broadcasts in publicly accessible places only when no material benefit is connected with it; in a business this exception is generally not relied on.
The Polish Copyright Act does not place public playback of music under mandatory collective management. Performers and producers do have a remuneration right for playback of commercially released recordings.
Collecting societies have historically enjoyed a presumption of standing for works in their field, so in a dispute the venue must prove that every track played is licensed outside ZAiKS, ZPAV, STOART and SAWP. Keep the licence contract, track lists and the provider's statements.
Civil damages under article 79 can be double the appropriate fee (the Constitutional Tribunal partly struck this down from 1 July 2015). Article 116 provides criminal penalties of up to 2 years, or 3 years if for material gain.
Dr.DIO Studio makes its own electronic and ambient music, no Dr.DIO track is registered with any collecting society, and the Business plan ($14.99 a month per venue, 14 days free) gives the venue a direct public playback license and a certificate for Dr.DIO music.
Polish law does not make venue playback mandatory collective, so Dr.DIO music should not need a ZAiKS licence or society payments for recordings. Because the societies are presumed to represent music in their field, keep the Dr.DIO certificate and track list to prove it.
Any other music in the venue, such as radio, TV, live music or other playlists, still needs the usual licences.
This page explains the general rules as published by the societies and laws listed above, checked in October 2026. It is not legal advice; fees and rules change, so confirm with the society before you decide.
ZAiKS computes the fee by venue type, town size and devices with its online calculator. No official example was available for this guide.
Use the ZAiKS online calculator; the fee depends on the type of shop, town size and number of devices. Recordings fees are separate.
Usually yes: ZAiKS for authors, and remuneration for commercial recordings to ZPAV and the performers' societies.
Yes, if every track is licensed outside the societies. You must be able to prove it in a dispute.
No. Personal Spotify plans are for personal, noncommercial use.
Yes, ZAiKS offers an online licensing portal with a fee calculator.
