PMApub / Academy lessons / Module 4

Neighboring Rights & Global Broadcasts

By PMApub Academy · Last reviewed 2026-10-13 · About 6 min read

What Neighboring Rights Are

Copyright law traditionally protects the composition. Neighboring rights, also called related rights, protect others who contribute to bringing a work to the public, including performers and the producers or owners of sound recordings. In music, the term usually refers to the master-side performance royalties paid when a recording is broadcast or publicly played.

In many countries, a radio station that plays a track owes money for the composition to one society and money for the recording to another. The recording money is then shared between the performers and the recording owner according to local rules. The legal form also varies: some countries grant an exclusive right, while others provide a right to fair payment, often called equitable remuneration.

How the US Is Different

In the United States, there is no general public performance right in sound recordings for over-the-air AM and FM radio. Stations pay for the composition through PROs, but not to recording owners or performers. Digital services are different, as covered earlier, because non-interactive digital radio does pay recording owners and performers through SoundExchange. Legislation to create a terrestrial right, such as the American Music Fairness Act, has been proposed, but SoundExchange states there is currently no such right, so verify the current status.

This gap has a consequence. Because US terrestrial radio does not pay the master side, American artists have often had a harder time collecting master-side money from foreign broadcasts. Rules and agreements can change over time, so treat this as background and verify current details.

Who Pays and Who Collects Abroad

Overseas, the money is collected by local collective management organizations. Well-known examples include PPL in the United Kingdom and GVL in Germany. These societies license radio stations, venues, and other public users, and then pay out to registered performers and rights owners.

SoundExchange has arrangements with a number of foreign societies and offers a service for registered US artists and rights owners who want help collecting international neighboring rights. SoundExchange states that you must be a member, complete an International Mandate, choose the territories where you want it to represent you, and submit your recordings. Which societies are covered, what fees apply, and what fees apply are decided by the organization, so read its current terms before you opt in.

A Practical Example

Maya's single becomes popular with a few radio stations in Europe. A listener in Berlin hears it on a broadcast, and a shop in London plays it as background music. Both uses are public performances of a recording.

Because those plays took place abroad, local societies may collect money for them. If Maya is registered with SoundExchange for both her featured artist and rights owner roles, and has opted into the international service, there is a pathway for that money to reach her. If she has done nothing, the societies may hold her share, or distribute it elsewhere if it remains unidentified.

Steps to Prepare Your Catalog

1. Register in the US first. Sign up with SoundExchange as rights owner and featured artist.
2. Check international options. Read the organization's information on opting into international collection and decide whether it suits you.
3. Clean your metadata. Foreign societies match plays using details like ISRC, artist name, title, release date, and label.
4. Document ownership. Keep proof of who owns the master and who performed on it.
5. Track territories. Note where your music is getting airplay so you can follow up on statements.
6. Review regularly. Statements from overseas can lag by a long time.

A tool like ReleaseReady can help keep ISRCs and release details consistent so that international matches are easier.

Caveats to Keep in Mind

• Not every foreign play is reported, and some uses may never produce a payment.
• Payments can arrive slowly and in small amounts.
• Local rules differ by country, including how money is split between performer and owner.
• Fees, eligibility, and terms can change.
• Opting in may affect other arrangements, such as a label or other collection agent already representing you.

Before opting in, check any existing agreements you have with a label or distributor and ask a qualified professional if needed. This article is general education, not legal or financial advice, so talk with a qualified music attorney or accountant about your own situation.

For labels, managers, and teams

International neighboring rights are a data-quality and contract-coordination job. The money is small per play and slow to arrive, so the only way to make it worthwhile across a roster is to run it as a process.

First, settle who has the mandate. If your label, distributor, or another agent already collects neighboring rights for an artist or recording, a second collector can create conflicts. Review contracts before anyone opts in, and put in writing who represents each recording, in which territories, and for how long.

Second, fix the underlying records. Foreign societies match plays using ISRC, artist name, title, label, and release date. Keep one master catalog file that all registrations are generated from, and update it whenever a recording changes ownership, label name, or credited artist.

Third, document ownership and performer credits. Societies may ask for proof of who owns the master and who performed on it, and local rules on how money is shared between performers and owners vary by country. Keep session contracts, split sheets, and master purchase agreements together.

Fourth, account carefully. Foreign statements can lag and arrive in different currencies and formats, and withholding or administrative fees may apply. Reconcile each statement to your catalog register, record the territory and period, and ask your accountant how to treat foreign income. Check which territories your collector actually covers before you assume a play was missed.

Assign a named owner for this workflow, because without one the registrations drift out of date.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Confusing neighboring rights with songwriter royalties. They belong to performers and recording owners, not to writers as writers.
• Assuming US terrestrial AM and FM radio generates recording royalties. It does not under current US law.
• Opting in without checking whether a label, distributor, or other agent already represents the recordings.
• Skipping SoundExchange registration and expecting international collection to work anyway.
• Submitting inconsistent metadata, which prevents foreign societies from matching plays.
• Assuming payment is guaranteed. It depends on actual plays, reporting, and matching.
• Not tracking where airplay is happening, which makes statements hard to check.
• Ignoring the fact that country rules for splitting money between performers and owners differ.

Action checklist

1. Register with SoundExchange as rights owner and featured artist.
2. Read the current terms for international collection.
3. Check your existing contracts for any party that already represents your recordings abroad.
4. Complete the International Mandate and choose territories if you decide to opt in.
5. Submit your recordings with accurate ISRCs, titles, and artist names.
6. Document ownership and performer credits for each master.
7. Note where your music is getting airplay.
8. Record all registrations in your catalog register.
9. Reconcile foreign statements to your register when they arrive.
10. Revisit the setup at least once a year.

Key terms

• Neighboring rights: rights of performers and recording owners, in many countries, to be paid when recordings are broadcast or publicly played; also called related rights.
• Related rights: another name for neighboring rights, used in many treaties and national laws.
• Equitable remuneration: a right to fair payment, rather than an exclusive right to authorize or prohibit use.
• Collective management organization: an organization that licenses users and distributes royalties to its members.
• PPL: the collective management organization for recordings in the United Kingdom.
• GVL: the German society that collects for performers and recording owners.
• International Mandate: SoundExchange's authorization form that lets it represent a member abroad in selected territories.
• Terrestrial radio: over-the-air AM or FM broadcast, as opposed to internet or satellite transmission.
• Public performance right in a sound recording: the right to be paid when a recording is played publicly; in the US it is limited to digital audio transmissions.
• ISRC: an identifier code for a specific sound recording, used to match plays.
• Rights owner: the owner of the sound recording copyright; often a label or the artist.