An IPN (International Performer Number) is the globally unique identifier for performers in the neighbouring rights ecosystem. It allows PPL, SoundExchange, and their international counterparts to unambiguously identify performers across jurisdictions — and is essential for the correct routing of international neighbouring rights royalties.
What is an IPN?
An IPN (International Performer Number) is a globally unique identifier assigned to performers for the purpose of neighbouring rights royalty administration. Neighbouring rights cover the royalties paid when sound recordings are broadcast or played publicly — the recording copyright income collected by PPL in the UK, SoundExchange in the US, and equivalent organisations internationally. The IPN allows these organisations to identify performers unambiguously across jurisdictions. When a UK artist's recording is broadcast on a US radio station, SoundExchange must identify the performer to route income back to PPL, who then pays the artist. Without a globally unique performer identifier, this matching relies on name matching — which fails whenever names are spelled differently, shared between artists, or formatted inconsistently across databases.
IPN vs IPI: the key difference
IPI (Interested Party Information) and IPN are frequently confused because they both identify people in the music industry with numeric identifiers. The distinction is fundamental:
- IPI identifies songwriters and publishers in the performing rights ecosystem (PRS, ASCAP, BMI, SOCAN etc). It is assigned when you join a PRO and covers royalties for the composition copyright.
- IPN identifies performers in the neighbouring rights ecosystem (PPL, SoundExchange, SCAPR members etc). It covers royalties for the recording copyright — the performer's contribution to a sound recording.
- A songwriter who also performs on their own recordings needs both: an IPI for the composition royalties and an IPN for the performer royalties from the same release.
- The two identifiers operate in separate systems and do not substitute for each other.
Who issues IPNs
IPNs are issued by SCAPR (Societies' Council for the Collective Management of Performers' Rights), the international body that coordinates neighbouring rights collection across member societies. In the UK, PPL is a SCAPR member and issues IPNs to registered performer members. When you register with PPL as a performer, PPL assigns you an IPN as part of the registration process. This IPN then travels with your performer records across international reciprocal relationships, enabling overseas neighbouring rights societies to route income back to PPL for distribution to you.
How to get your IPN in the UK
UK performers obtain their IPN through PPL registration:
- Register at ppluk.com as a performer member. PPL membership is free.
- Complete your performer profile, including your full legal name, stage name, nationality, and contact details.
- PPL assigns your IPN as part of the registration process. You can find your IPN in your PPL member portal.
- Add your recordings to the PPL database with your performer credits on each recording. This is what enables PPL to match broadcast usage logs against your IPN.
- Your IPN is then shared with international SCAPR members, enabling neighbouring rights income from overseas broadcasts to route back to you via PPL.
IPN and international neighbouring rights collection
The IPN is the backbone of international neighbouring rights collection. When a UK artist's recording is broadcast on European radio, the European neighbouring rights society receives broadcast logs, identifies the recording via its ISRC, identifies the performer via their IPN, and routes the royalty to PPL via the SCAPR reciprocal network. PPL then distributes that income to the artist as part of its twice-yearly distributions. Without a correctly registered IPN linked to correct performer credits on the relevant recordings, this chain breaks at the identification step and the income goes unmatched.
IPN and SoundExchange for US digital performance
SoundExchange is the US neighbouring rights organisation that collects digital performance royalties for streaming on non-interactive internet radio services (Pandora, SiriusXM, iHeartRadio) and collects on behalf of performers and record labels. SoundExchange uses IPNs to identify performers for the purpose of routing income. UK artists with US digital radio airplay who are registered with PPL (and therefore have an IPN) can receive their SoundExchange income via the PPL-SoundExchange reciprocal agreement, without needing to separately register with SoundExchange — provided their PPL registration is complete and their recordings are correctly registered.
Code Group Music includes IPN verification as part of its metadata administration service. Our catalog assessment checks whether your PPL registration includes a correct IPN and whether your performer credits are linked to your recordings in a way that enables international neighbouring rights matching. Start at codegroupmusic.co.uk/#catalog-assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I automatically get an IPN when I join PPL?
Yes. PPL assigns an IPN to performer members as part of the registration process. You can find your IPN in your PPL member portal. If you have been a PPL member for some time and have never checked, log in and verify your IPN is recorded correctly.
Is my IPN visible to other organisations?
Yes. Your IPN is shared with international SCAPR member societies via the VRDB (Virtual Recording Database), enabling international matching. This sharing is the mechanism that makes international neighbouring rights collection work.
Can I have an IPN without being a PPL member?
In the UK, IPNs are issued through PPL. If you are not a PPL member, you do not have a UK-assigned IPN. Registration with PPL as a performer is the action required to obtain an IPN.
Does my IPN change if I change my name?
No. Your IPN is a persistent identifier — it remains the same regardless of name changes. You would update your name in your PPL profile, and the IPN continues to link all recordings and royalty distributions to your identity.
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