Radio station FunX to pay artists 8 times more, effective immediately
Artists whose music is played on the Dutch urban radio station FunX will now receive eight times more in royalties per second, following a new agreement between BumaStemra and the Dutch Public Broadcasting (NPO). The change takes effect immediately.
Under the previous arrangement, artists earned just 0.0003 euros per second of airplay. That amount has now increased to 0.0025 euros per second—equivalent to a quarter of a cent. This means that a three-minute song, which previously earned an artist just 5.4 cents, will now generate approximately 45 cents in royalties.
The update comes after years of advocacy from FunX artists demanding fairer compensation. “This is recognition of FunX as a full-fledged station,” said Chanelva Rier, FunX’s station manager. “It’s good to see concrete change after all this time.”
John Olivieira-Siere, a FunX board member, announced the new rates on LinkedIn. The increase brings FunX’s compensation closer to that of other regional NPO stations, reflecting the station’s growing reach and influence.
The push for higher royalties began over a year ago when Olivieira-Siere reached out to musician and advocate Aafke Romeijn. Romeijn, a board member of BAM Popauteurs—a Dutch organization representing songwriters—brought the issue to BumaStemra, which manages royalties for composers and lyricists.
“We quickly realized the old rate was outdated,” Romeijn told NOS. “If something is unfair, we discuss it within the commission and push for change.”
FunX artists originally received no royalties at all until 2012. At that time, the station was considered a niche broadcaster with a limited audience in a few cities. Over the past decade, FunX has grown into one of the Netherlands’ largest online radio platforms and a major player in urban music.
The new rates are part of an interim arrangement. Full negotiations between NPO and BumaStemra are ongoing, but Romeijn said discussions with the national broadcaster take time. “NPO is a massive organization, and these things don’t happen overnight. Even this interim solution took over a year to finalize.”
Jurre Bosman, NPO’s director of audio, emphasized that NPO itself does not control how royalties are distributed. “It’s up to BumaStemra to ensure that the fees we pay as a public broadcaster are fairly allocated to music creators.”
BumaStemra welcomed the new agreement. “We greatly appreciate the vital role FunX has played in supporting musical talent in the Netherlands,” the organization said in a statement. “This adjustment is a step in the right direction.”
FunX’s Rier stressed that the station remains committed to amplifying underrepresented voices in Dutch music. “FunX is the place where the music and stories of a new generation come together. We give a platform to artists who might not get played elsewhere, but who represent the voice of a diverse audience.”
