Getting to Know ACUM
Watch a short video explaining what ACUM is and how joining will help you as a creator.
Why Become an ACUM Member?
Naturally, as a creator you are most interested in the publication and recognition of your work by the audience. There is no substitute for the excitement of a first radio play, or publication in a literary supplement. But as in any work in which much effort has been invested, your basic right is to receive payment for it.
We ensure that you receive appropriate financial compensation for the use of your work and that it is not used without a license. Technological advancement breaks boundaries and limitations and allows works to be published faster and to a larger audience, but the creator does not always receive compensation. We at ACUM see today more than ever the right of creators as one of the most precious assets.
What Do ACUM Members Get?
Legal Consultation
Legal consultation by attorneys specializing in intellectual property and specifically in copyright, who know the industry and its pitfalls. An ACUM member is entitled to one consultation per year with a nominal self-participation fee.
Worldwide Coverage
ACUM covers the use of your works around the world through 139 reciprocal agreements with sister societies abroad.
Lifetime Membership
Rights are preserved for 70 years after death, and the income from the works is transferred to the heirs.
Protection Against Artistic Theft
Store your works in the virtual vault - protected against artistic theft even before the work was published to the public.
Membership Criteria
You can join ACUM if commercial use has been made in the last 3 years of a work of your own authorship, by users from whom ACUM collects royalties. The recognized pathways are:
Publication of a poetry/prose book (excluding reference or research books)
Subject to presenting an agreement with a publisher showing that the copyright in the work remains with the creator and he is entitled to transfer it to ACUM, as well as commercial distribution of the book in 500 copies or more.
Commercial performance (ticket sales)
Subject to presenting a flyer/program for a show with ticket sales at a venue operating under an ACUM license.
Commercial publication of a CD
Subject to distribution of the CD in 1,000 copies or more (conditional on presenting a mechanical printing license issued by the ACUM Records Department).
Radio or television broadcast
Subject to the work being broadcast on national or regional television channels/radio stations operating under an ACUM license and reporting (excluding Radio 106 stations).
Use of works on a website
Subject to the site operating under an ACUM license (such as Mako, Walla, Reshet and others).
Use on internet radio or platforms such as: Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer
A minimum of 1,000 plays is required.
Broadcast on YouTube
Subject to the video having over 50 thousand views in the territory of the State of Israel in one calendar year.
Distribution via mobile
Subject to the work being uploaded to mobile or a request being received to upload the work by a content provider.
Use of a work abroad
Subject to the publication being made in a territory where a sister society that has signed a reciprocal agreement with ACUM operates, and subject to receiving proof of the publication.
• Joining as a musical arranger or text arranger is conditional on the approval of the original composer or author for the arrangement of the work.
• You are not a member for the territory of Israel in a sister society in the world that protects copyrights.
• Music publisher - the membership criterion for a publisher: a publishing agreement with a creator for at least one work that has been commercially published in the last 3 years by users from whom ACUM collects royalties. To download publisher membership forms (including the required agreement) click here.
Required Documents for Registration
Please make sure you have the following documents before starting the registration:
Copy of ID
Passport/profile photo
Copy of a check or bank account confirmation verifying your account details
The Joining Process
Fill Out the Online Form
Complete the digital membership application with your personal details and details of one work of your own authorship that has been commercially published according to the criteria in the last three years. Click here
Upload Documents
Upload your ID, bank account confirmation (in your name), a profile photo and a signed rights assignment deed to ACUM.
Membership Approval
After reviewing the application and paying the registration fee (for eligible candidates only), the application is forwarded to an admission committee for allocation of a royalties share. Upon completion, a membership confirmation and access to the members' area will be sent by email.