The digital era has brought about profound changes in how music is created, distributed,
and consumed, posing a need for modernizing the Dutch collective management system of
music copyright to match the rapidly changing digital music industry. This study aims to identify
the key stakeholders and their perceptions of the Dutch system of collective management of
music copyright. Utilizing qualitative document analysis, the study examines a range of public
and non-public documents, including income statements, annual reports from Collective Management
Organizations (CMOs), and contracts between publishers and creators. The research is
further enriched by twenty-four semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders such as composers,
lyricists, music publishers, copyright lawyers, and CMO executives. The findings of the
study highlight several issues like the outdated IT systems and the lack of data standardization
within the system. The research also notes a contrast in organizational effectiveness: major
publishers are well-organized and unified in their negotiations with Digital Service Providers
(DSPs) and CMOs, effectively advocating for their rights. However, music copyright holders,
despite their legal homogeneity, are either unorganized or ineffectively aligned, displaying diverse
interests and varying levels of access to information, as well as differences in norms and values
prioritization. The study is grounded in the economics of collective management (ECM) and
makes a significant academic contribution to this field by introducing new empirical findings to
ECMs core constructs and integrating theoretical perspectives. The research offers valuable insights
for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and researchers, aiming to foster a more equitable
music copyright management system in the digital context.
