How to Pay ZAIKS for Wedding Music - A Step-by-Step Guide

April 28, 2024

What is the ZAIKS fee?

Organizing a wedding comes with more fees than most couples expect, and it’s easy to lose track of all the formalities along the way. That’s why we wanted to shed some light on one fee that many couples getting married in Poland aren’t even aware they owe: the ZAIKS fee. Whether you book a live band or a DJ for your wedding, they’re going to perform or play plenty of well-known songs by various artists. Most of those songs are protected by copyright, so playing or performing them requires compensating the people who wrote them. ZAIKS - the Polish Society of Authors and Composers - collects these fees and distributes them among the songwriters. This is specific to weddings held in Poland; if you’re marrying elsewhere, check whether your own country has an equivalent performing rights organization.

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Do I have to pay ZAIKS for my wedding?

In practice, yes - pretty much always, if your wedding is taking place in Poland and you’re planning to have any music at your reception. It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking just about the first dance song or all the songs your guests dance to throughout the night. Both bands and DJs will almost certainly play well-known copyrighted songs (unless your band performs exclusively original material with no hits at all), and that alone is enough to trigger the payment obligation. You pay through the ZAIKS website, and we’ll show you exactly how in the next section. Before you pay, though, it’s worth checking whether your venue, band, or DJ will cover this fee on your behalf - if so, make sure that arrangement is written into your contract with them.

ZAIKS fee for wedding music

Step-by-step: how to pay ZAIKS

We’ll walk you through paying ZAIKS for your wedding step by step. The easiest way to do it is online - no need to print or fill out complicated paperwork. You can even check the license cost in advance without creating an account.

Go to the ZAIKS website: https://online.zaiks.org.pl/.

Paying ZAIKS through the website STEP 1

Next, set up a contractor account.

Paying ZAIKS through the website STEP 2

Once your account is ready, head to the “Calculate license” tab and click “Calculate fee” next to the category describing a wedding.

Paying ZAIKS through the website STEP 3

Fill in all the details about your wedding - the final amount will depend on this information. Note that the calculation looks different for a band (music performed live):

Paying ZAIKS through the website STEP 4

The calculation for a DJ (music played back) looks different - here the license cost doesn’t depend on the performer’s fee:

Paying ZAIKS through the website STEP 5

Once you’ve entered everything, click Calculate to see how much you owe ZAIKS for your wedding. If you’re logged into your account, you’ll also have the option to pay for the license right away.

Paying ZAIKS through the website STEP 6

What if I don’t pay ZAIKS?

Skipping the ZAIKS fee can lead to two types of consequences. First, there are financial penalties - you could end up paying double or even triple the original fee. On top of that, violating someone else’s copyright can, in theory, lead to restrictions on personal freedom or even imprisonment. The inspection doesn’t have to take place on the wedding day itself - the relevant authority can look into it up to 5 years after the fact. In our opinion, it’s simply not worth the risk: pay the fee and skip the stress.

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How much does ZAIKS cost for a wedding?

There’s no single fixed amount - the fee is calculated by ZAIKS’s own online calculator based on factors like the number of guests, the venue’s location, and whether you’re hiring a band or a DJ. Importantly, the license is worked out differently for a band (music performed live, where the amount also depends on the performers’ fee) than for a DJ (recorded music played back). You can check the exact cost for your wedding without even creating an account, using the ‘Calculate license’ option on the ZAIKS website.

Do you always have to pay ZAIKS?

Almost always - if any well-known copyrighted songs are performed or played at your wedding, which will be the case with both a DJ and a live band. The only exception is a band that plays exclusively its own original songs with no covers or hits at all, which is extremely rare in practice. So realistically, you should budget for the ZAIKS fee at almost every wedding.

Where and how do I pay ZAIKS for a wedding?

The easiest way is online, through online.zaiks.org.pl - no printing or paper forms required. Create an account, fill in your wedding details under the ‘Calculate license’ tab, and once the fee is calculated you can pay for the license right away. We walk through the entire process step by step, with screenshots, in this article.

Who should pay ZAIKS - the couple or the band?

By default, the obligation falls on the organizer - usually the couple - but sometimes the venue, band, or DJ takes care of it instead. Before paying it yourself, check whether one of these parties will handle it on your behalf. If they will, make sure that’s written into your contract with them, so you don’t end up paying twice.

What happens if you don't pay ZAIKS?

Failing to pay can result in financial penalties. The inspection doesn’t have to happen on the wedding day itself - the relevant authority can look into it up to 5 years later. It’s far safer, and far less stressful, to simply settle the fee upfront.

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