Neighbouring rights are royalties paid to performers and record labels when their recordings are broadcast or publicly performed. Collecting them requires separate registration with PPL, and for international income, requires understanding how reciprocal agreements between national collection societies work.
What neighbouring rights are (briefly)
Neighbouring rights — also called related rights — are royalties generated by the broadcast and public performance of sound recordings, separate from the composition royalties collected by PRS. When a recording plays on BBC Radio 2, neighbouring rights income is generated for the featured performers on that recording and for the owner of the master recording. In the UK, PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited) collects and distributes these royalties. Many independent artists collect their composition royalties through PRS but miss their PPL neighbouring rights entirely because they have not registered separately. The two organisations are entirely distinct.
Step 1 — Register as a performer with PPL
If you are a featured performer on commercially released recordings, register with PPL at ppluk.com as a performer. Registration is free. You will need to provide your recordings, confirm your featured performer status, and link your profile to the recordings you performed on. PPL distributes performer royalties separately from label royalties, so if you are both a performer and the owner of the master recording, you need to register in both capacities.
Step 2 — Register your recordings as a label (or self-releasing artist)
If you own the master recordings — because you recorded independently or because your deal has reverted — you are entitled to the label share of PPL neighbouring rights income. Register with PPL as a record label. This applies even if you are a solo artist and you are effectively your own label. PPL's label membership requires you to provide evidence of ownership of the master recordings, typically through distribution agreements, contracts, or self-release documentation. Each recording must be registered individually with its ISRC code, release date, performer credits, and ownership information.
Step 3 — Ensure your ISRCs are correct
PPL uses ISRCs to match broadcast and streaming data to the correct recordings. If your recordings have missing, incorrect, or duplicated ISRCs, PPL cannot reliably attribute income to them. Before registering recordings with PPL, verify that each has a unique, correctly formatted ISRC (country code, registrant, year, designation — formatted CC-XXX-YY-NNNNN). If you are working from a back catalogue with patchy ISRC records, a metadata audit is advisable before PPL registration to avoid misattribution of income.
How international neighbouring rights collection works
Neighbouring rights are collected territory by territory. The UK's PPL has reciprocal agreements with equivalent organisations in most major music markets. When your recordings are broadcast in Germany, GVL (Gesellschaft zur Verwertung von Leistungsschutzrechten) collects the German neighbouring rights income. GVL then passes the UK artists' share to PPL under the reciprocal agreement, and PPL distributes it to you. The main international neighbouring rights societies and their territories include:
- Germany: GVL — one of the highest-paying neighbouring rights territories in Europe.
- France: SCPP (for labels) and ADAMI/SPEDIDAM (for performers) — France has a strong neighbouring rights framework under the Rome Convention.
- Australia: PPCA (Phonographic Performance Company of Australia) — covers broadcast and public performance of recordings.
- Canada: Re:Sound — collects performer and label neighbouring rights for Canadian broadcasts and public performances.
- Netherlands: SENA — distributes to PPL for UK-registered recordings.
- United States: SoundExchange — the US collecting society for digital performance royalties (internet radio, satellite radio, cable TV music channels). The US is not a party to the Rome Convention, so neighbouring rights from US terrestrial radio do not exist for foreign recordings, but SoundExchange collects for digital platforms.
SoundExchange and the US gap
The United States has not ratified the Rome Convention on neighbouring rights, which means that US terrestrial radio does not generate neighbouring rights royalties for foreign recordings. However, US digital platforms — Pandora, SiriusXM, iHeartRadio, and others — do generate neighbouring rights income collected by SoundExchange. UK artists with airplay on US digital radio services should register directly with SoundExchange to claim this income. SoundExchange operates independently of PPL, and PPL's reciprocal agreements do not automatically route SoundExchange income to UK artists. Registration at soundexchange.com is free.
How long before international income arrives
International neighbouring rights income typically takes 12 to 24 months to arrive from the date of broadcast, due to the time required for collection societies to gather usage data, match it to registered recordings, and transfer it through reciprocal agreements to PPL for final distribution. The lag is longer for territories with complex distribution processes or infrequent distribution cycles. Ensuring your recordings are correctly registered before they start generating international airplay — not retrospectively — is the most effective way to maximise collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to join PPL if I am already a PRS member?
Yes. PRS and PPL are entirely separate organisations. PRS collects composition royalties for songwriters. PPL collects neighbouring rights for performers and record labels. Being a PRS member does not register you with PPL, and PPL income does not flow through your PRS account.
Can PPL collect neighbouring rights from Spotify and other DSPs?
DSPs pay both a performance royalty (to PRS, via blanket licences) and a neighbouring rights-equivalent payment in some territories. In the UK, PPL collects from certain digital uses. However, the streaming royalty model is structured differently from broadcast, and the specific amounts depend on the licence terms between each DSP and PPL.
What is the performer share vs the label share of PPL income?
PPL splits neighbouring rights income between performers (artists, session musicians) and labels (owners of the master recording). For featured performers, the performer share is typically 50% of the net PPL income. The exact split depends on PPL's allocation rules and the performer's featured status. If you are both the performer and the label (a self-releasing artist), you may be entitled to both shares.
How do I find out if I have unclaimed PPL income?
Register with PPL, submit your recordings, and PPL will audit its matching database for any income that has been collected but not yet matched. Unclaimed income held by PPL is distributed to registered rights holders. Income that goes unmatched for a defined period is redistributed across the membership.
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