It is a scene we know from hundreds of conversations with salon owners: “But I already pay ZAiKS—what else is there?” The answer is that ZAiKS is only the first fee. The second is called STOART, and it can surprise people who thought they had already dealt with music licensing.
What is STOART and how is it different from ZAiKS?
STOART is a Polish collective management organisation representing performing artists: singers, musicians and instrumentalists. It administers a different right from the one handled by ZAiKS.
Put simply, one song has at least two layers of rights.
- ZAiKS represents the composer and lyricist—the people who wrote the work.
- STOART represents the performers—the people who played and sang it.
There is also ZPAV, which represents record producers. When playing protected music publicly in Poland, in principle all three layers must be cleared: three agreements and three payments. We explain the mechanism in our guide to music outside the ZAiKS repertoire.
How much does STOART cost?
Like ZAiKS rates, STOART rates depend on the type of business, floor area and how music is played. For a small service venue, the annual STOART fee is approximately PLN 300–500, with larger premises paying more.
The crucial point is that this fee is added to ZAiKS, not paid instead of it. For a 60 m² beauty salon, the combined bill for all three organisations is usually around PLN 960–1,560 a year. See the full breakdown in How much does ZAiKS cost for a small salon?.
| Organisation | What you pay for | Annual cost (60 m² salon) |
|---|---|---|
| ZAiKS | composers and lyricists | PLN 480–720 |
| STOART | performing artists | PLN 300–480 |
| ZPAV | record producers | PLN 180–360 |
Why does this surprise owners?
Intuition suggests that a “music fee” should be one charge. Poland’s system divides rights among three bodies, each protecting a different layer. Paying ZAiKS alone does not protect you from claims by STOART or ZPAV, and each organisation may conduct its own inspection. Our guide to a ZAiKS inspection explains what such a visit looks like.
How can you pay once instead of three times?
One route is music with a public-performance licence included in the subscription. The rights of composers, performers and producers are then cleared at source, so no agreements with those three organisations are needed for that catalogue.
- no separate ZAiKS, STOART or ZPAV fees,
- one subscription instead of three invoices,
- a licensing certificate for an inspection,
- ad-free music tailored to the industry.
See how we select licensed playlists for beauty salons, spas and restaurants.
Calculate how much you could save on the three fees →
Questions and answers
Q: Is STOART included if I pay ZAiKS?
A: No. They are separate organisations representing different rights. A ZAiKS agreement does not cover STOART or ZPAV royalties.
Q: Does STOART inspect venues?
A: Yes. Collective management organisations may verify whether protected music is being played lawfully and pursue amounts due.
Q: Does instrumental music also require a STOART fee?
A: If it was recorded by performers and is protected by related rights, yes. An exception is properly licensed royalty-free music whose performer rights have been cleared at source.
Q: Can one subscription really cover all three layers?
A: Yes, provided the service grants a public-performance licence covering composers, performers and producers. You should receive a certificate confirming that scope.
This article is for information only and describes the Polish licensing system. Check current rates at stoart.pl, zaiks.pl and zpav.pl.
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