Do the creators of the music I use have to be a member of BumaStemra or a sister organisation?

Yes. BumaStemra can only represent the interests of its members. If someone is not a member, BumaStemra is unable to act on their behalf. Imagine if a music creator who is not a member of BumaStemra demands money for the use of their work, we would be unable to pay them. Therefore, we are unable to licence music users to play music from creators who are not members. As BumaStemra, we can only give music users permission on behalf of affiliated music creators.