The Royalty Stream Most Independent Artists Miss Entirely
There is money sitting uncollected in your name right now. If your music has ever been played on UK radio, broadcast on television, streamed on Pandora, or performed in a public venue anywhere in the world, you are owed neighboring rights. Yet the vast majority of independent artists have never registered to collect it.
Last year, PPL (the UK’s collection body for sound recordings) distributed £301 million to performers and recording owners who were registered. SoundExchange (the US equivalent for digital services) distributed $1.05 billion. That is real money paid out every year, and most of it flows to artists who took 20 minutes to register.
This guide walks you through exactly how to claim what you are owed, region by region, with no assumptions about what you already know.
What Neighboring Rights Actually Are
Neighboring rights are performance royalties paid to recording artists and master owners when a song is broadcast, played publicly, or performed on eligible platforms. They are separate from streaming royalties, publishing royalties, and performance royalties for songwriting.
The key distinction: when your song plays on UK radio, two different royalties are generated. Your publisher (or PRO like PRS for Music) collects a fee for the song itself: the composition, lyrics, and melody. Separately, PPL collects a fee for the recording. This is the actual audio file you created. You only get the second one if you register for neighboring rights.
This matters because many independent artists think their distributor handles everything. It does not. Your distributor collects streaming revenue from on-demand platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. It does not automatically register you for neighboring rights with PPL, SoundExchange, or international collection societies.
Three types of use trigger neighboring rights payments: Radio and broadcast television. Any time your recording is played on terrestrial or digital radio, cable TV, or broadcast TV.
Public performance. When your recording plays in shops, gyms, restaurants, bars, or any other venue where the public gathers.
Eligible digital services. Specific non-interactive platforms like Pandora and SiriusXM where listeners do not select individual songs (note: on-demand Spotify does not generate neighboring rights through this mechanism).
If you own your master recording, you qualify for both the performer share and the rights-holder share. That is money most artists never touch because they do not know to register for it.
Step 1: UK and European Artists Register with PPL
PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited) collects neighboring rights for the UK and has reciprocal agreements with collection societies in over 80 territories worldwide. If you have any UK listeners or international radio airplay, you need to be registered here.
The process takes 15 minutes and costs nothing.
Go to ppluk.com and apply for membership. You have two options: performer membership (if you are the artist performing on the recording) or rights-holder membership (if you own the master). As an independent artist, you should apply for both. If you co-released with others, register as the performer and declare your co-owners separately.
You will need your legal name, contact details, and basic tax information. PPL will issue you a PPL ID once your application is approved, typically within one to two weeks.
Next, register your recordings. Log into your PPL account and submit each track with the following details:
Track title and artist name (exactly as it appears on the release)
ISRC code (your distributor generated this when you released the track. Find it in your distributor dashboard)
Recording duration
All performers on the recording (including session musicians and backing vocalists if applicable)
The rights-holder (this is you if you own the master)
PPL matches these details against international broadcast reports and public performance logs. If your data is incomplete or inaccurate, matching fails and you do not get paid. Double-check ISRCs especially; they are the primary identifier PPL uses.
Once registered, PPL distributes quarterly. Expect your first payment within four to six months of registration. Retroactive claims are possible; if your music has been playing on UK radio or in public venues for years without you being registered, PPL can back-pay registered royalties going back several years.
Step 2: US Artists Register with SoundExchange
SoundExchange is the only organization in the United States authorized to collect digital performance royalties from sound recordings. It handles Pandora, SiriusXM, internet radio, webcasts, and cable music channels. If your music streams on any of these platforms, you are owed money.
Registration is free and takes about 10 minutes.
Go to soundexchange.com/register and create your account through SoundExchange Direct. You will enter your legal name, contact information, and tax details (W9 for US residents).
Once your account is set up, you must claim your recordings. This is critical. SoundExchange may already have your music in their system from platforms reporting plays, but you will not be paid if you have not claimed them.
Log into your account and use the “Search and Claim” tool. Search for your artist name or track titles. If your music appears in their database (which it likely does if you have had any Pandora or SiriusXM play), claim those recordings. You can then submit additional tracks directly if they do not appear in the search.
For each recording, provide the ISRC, title, artist name, duration, and your relationship to the recording (featured artist, rights owner, or both). This is important: register as both featured artist and sound recording copyright owner if you own your masters. Many artists register only as the artist and leave 50 percent of the royalties unclaimed.
SoundExchange also holds unclaimed royalties. Before you register, search their Unclaimed Data tool with your artist name. If royalties are sitting in their system waiting for you, that is backpay you can claim once your account is verified.
Distributions from SoundExchange happen quarterly. Payouts typically arrive three to four months after the end of the reporting period.
Step 3: International Artists and Additional Territories
If your music has any international radio play or public performance outside the UK and US, register with the collection societies in those countries. The major ones are:
GVL (Germany) – Distributed over €258 million in 2024
SENA (Netherlands)
Re:Sound (Canada)
SPEDIDAM (France, especially for session musicians)
SoundExchange also has reciprocal agreements with over 40 international societies, meaning US artists registered with SoundExchange can collect digital performance royalties from these territories through a single registration.
For artists with significant international presence, using a neighboring rights administrator (companies like Symphonic, LimeBlue, or CreateBase) can simplify multi-territory registration. These services typically charge 10 to 20 percent of collected royalties but handle the complexity of registering with dozens of societies and managing metadata across territories.
Common Mistakes That Cost You Money
Do not register with only one role. If you own your masters, register as both performer and rights owner. Registering as only the artist leaves the rights-owner share uncollected.
Do not submit incomplete ISRCs. SoundExchange and PPL match royalties using ISRCs. A registration without ISRCs is invisible to their matching systems. If a track does not have an ISRC, your distributor or label can issue one, or you can submit the ISRC directly when you register.
Do not assume your distributor handles this. Your distributor collects streaming revenue from on-demand services. It does not register you for neighboring rights. These are two separate processes managed by two separate organizations.
Do not use stage names alone without your legal name. Register under both. SoundExchange and PPL may have royalties logged under either name, and registering under only one means the other goes unclaimed.
Do not skip session musicians. If session musicians or backing vocalists performed on your tracks, list them in PPL and SoundExchange registrations. They have performer rights, and declaring them ensures clean records and avoids disputes later.
What to Expect After You Register
Processing takes time. Most societies process registrations within two to six weeks. Distributions begin after that, typically on a quarterly or semi-annual cycle, with a lag of three to six months between when your music is played and when you receive payment.
Amounts vary based on how much your music is actually played. An independent artist with modest international radio play might collect £200 to £500 per quarter. An artist with consistent UK radio rotation or significant Pandora play might collect substantially more. For artists who have never registered but have been accumulating plays for years, retroactive claims can result in lump-sum payments of thousands of pounds or dollars.
Once you are registered, distributions arrive automatically. You do not need to do anything else beyond ensuring your metadata stays accurate and updating your bank details if you move.
Taking Full Control of Your Rights
Registering for neighboring rights is one of the highest-ROI tasks an independent artist can do. It costs nothing, takes less than an hour, and puts money in your pocket that would otherwise sit uncollected. The process is straightforward: PPL for UK and international radio, SoundExchange for US digital services, and direct registration with other societies if you have play in their territories.
For independent labels and artists managing multiple releases or territories, this process becomes administratively complex quickly. Ensuring clean metadata, tracking registrations across platforms, and managing multiple performer and rights-holder relationships requires systems and attention to detail. This is exactly why many independent labels partner with a full-service rights management team to handle the administrative burden.
If you are ready to claim what you are owed or want support managing neighboring rights as your catalog grows, get in touch with MN2S. We handle the complexity so you do not have to.