Neighbouring rights are the royalties paid to performers and recording owners when a recording is played on the radio, on TV or in public places like shops, gyms and bars. They’re separate from songwriting money, and you only get them if you register. Add it to your music release checklist so it’s done before the first play.
Who gets neighbouring rights
Two groups are paid for every play:
- Performers: the featured artist and the session players and singers on the track.
- The recording owner: you if you released it yourself, or your label if you’re signed.
If you write, perform and self-release, you can be owed on both sides, plus separate performance royalties as the songwriter.
In the UK: PPL
PPL collects neighbouring rights in the UK. It licenses radio stations, TV channels and businesses that play recorded music, then pays the performers and recording owners.
- Joining is free. Performers and recording rights holders both register.
- UK money is paid once a year, in June. International money comes in quarterly payments.
- It collects from abroad too, through agreements with similar organisations in other countries.
Register each release with your ISRCs so plays can be matched to you.
In the US: SoundExchange
The US is different. AM and FM radio stations don’t pay performers or recording owners for the music they play. Artists have been pushing a bill in Congress, the American Music Fairness Act, to change that.
Digital radio does pay: satellite radio, internet radio and cable TV music channels. SoundExchange collects that money. It doesn’t cover on-demand streams like Spotify or Apple Music, where the listener picks the track and your distributor pays you. It doesn’t cover songwriting or video either.
Who gets paid
The split is set by US law:
| Who | Share |
|---|---|
| Recording owner (you if you self-release, otherwise your label) | 50% |
| Featured artist | 45% |
| Session musicians and singers | 5%, through funds set up with their unions |
If you self-release, you can be owed both the 50% and the 45%, so register as both the artist and the rights owner.
How to register
- Sign up on SoundExchange’s website. It’s free.
- Register as an artist, a rights owner, or both.
- Add your payment details and tax form.
- Check your recordings are listed with their ISRCs, so plays can be matched to you.
The fee and when you’re paid
- Admin fee: 4–6%, taken from what it collects.
- By cheque: quarterly, once your balance reaches $100.
- By direct deposit: monthly once you have $100 or more, or quarterly from $10.
Outside the US: the W-8BEN form
Non-US artists can register too, but you must send a W-8BEN tax form. Without it, 30% is withheld from your payments. If your country has a tax treaty with the US and you give a tax ID on the form, you may pay less.
Do you need both?
If your music gets played in the UK, join PPL. If it gets played on US digital radio, you’re owed SoundExchange money, and registering is free and takes an evening. The amounts are often small for independent artists at first, but there’s no point leaving them unclaimed.
If you’re a PPL member outside the US, ask PPL whether it already collects your US money before registering separately, so two organisations aren’t chasing the same plays.
Common reasons people miss out
- They never registered, because no one told them it exists.
- They registered the artist but not the recordings, or the other way round.
- Session players didn’t know they were owed anything.
- The metadata didn’t match, so plays couldn’t be traced.
Next step
Register every new release with PPL, and with SoundExchange if you’re played in the US. For how this fits with everything else you’re owed, see music royalties, or browse our music royalties and pay guides.
