Skip to main content
Rights & Licensing

Neighboring rights

Rights related to the performance or broadcast of a sound recording, distinct from the underlying composition. Neighboring rights generate royalties for recording artists and record labels (not songwriters) when their recordings are played on broadcast radio or public venues. Commonly collected by PPL (UK) and GVL (Germany).

Articles about Neighboring rights

Neighboring Rights Explained: Who Gets Paid and How Collections Work Internationally
Royalties

Neighboring Rights Explained: Who Gets Paid and How Collections Work Internationally

Neighboring rights are a persistent blind spot for many music businesses; they sit alongside copyright, attach to performers and phonogram producers, and generate cross-border payments that frequently go unclaimed. Neighboring rights explained: this article lays out who is entitled under different laws and CMOs, how reporting and reciprocal agreements move money internationally, and where metadata failures create black box pools.

Read More
Songtrust: Business and Technology Partner to the Creative Community — How to use it for music publishing administration
Music Publishing

Songtrust: Business and Technology Partner to the Creative Community — How to use it for music publishing administration

Songtrust: Business and Technology Partner to the Creative Community provides global music publishing administration for independent songwriters and composers. This guide covers account setup, catalog registration, royalty collection from CMOs worldwide, and when Songtrust makes sense for your publishing rights.

Read More
Territory Collection Societies: A Global Guide to PROs and CMOs Worldwide
Music Business

Territory Collection Societies: A Global Guide to PROs and CMOs Worldwide

Territory collection societies form the patchwork of national and regional organizations that collect and distribute music royalties, and knowing who collects which rights in which markets is the practical difference between missing revenue and timely payments. This guide maps PROs, CMOs, neighboring rights and master rights collectors by territory, provides registration and metadata checklists for priority markets, and gives step-by-step troubleshooting and prioritization advice publishers, labels and sync teams can use to recover royalties faster.

Read More
How Social Media Music Marketing Royalties Generate Income Artists Are Missing
Royalties

How Social Media Music Marketing Royalties Generate Income Artists Are Missing

TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook generate performance, mechanical, and sync licensing royalties that most independent artists never collect. Billions in social media music marketing royalties sit unclaimed with CMOs worldwide because creators don't register works correctly or understand which platforms trigger which rights.

Read More
SOCAN vs ASCAP: Which PRO Is Right for You?
Royalties

SOCAN vs ASCAP: Which PRO Is Right for You?

Deciding between SOCAN vs ASCAP determines where and how your performance royalties are collected and paid. This SOCAN vs ASCAP comparison walks through eligibility, territorial scope, what each PRO does and does not collect, registration and split workflows, payout mechanics, and the metadata mistakes that cause missing royalties.

Read More
How to Build a Sustainable Music Career as an Independent Artist
Music Business

How to Build a Sustainable Music Career as an Independent Artist

This practical how to build music career guide gives independent artists a step-by-step roadmap to create reliable income, retain rights, and grow an engaged fan base. You will get concrete music career tips on revenue diversification, rights registration and royalty collection, repeatable release and promotion workflows, live and direct-to-fan strategies, and measurable milestones to use over the next 12 months.

Read More
How Rappers Actually Become Famous: The Real Path to Recognition
Music Business

How Rappers Actually Become Famous: The Real Path to Recognition

Wondering how do rappers become famous? This practical how-to guide lays out the repeatable path from craft and short-form promotion to distribution, rights management, and measurement, with a 90-day checklist you can start today.

Read More
DistroKid vs TuneCore vs CD Baby: Which Music Distributor Is Best?
Music Distribution

DistroKid vs TuneCore vs CD Baby: Which Music Distributor Is Best?

This music distribution comparison looks at DistroKid, TuneCore, and CD Baby to show which distributor fits different release cadences, budgets, and revenue priorities. We break down pricing, revenue share, publishing administration, YouTube monetization, store reach, and real world tradeoffs with concrete cost examples so you can choose the right option for singles, albums, or a busy catalog.

Read More
How to Land a Sync License for Your Music in Film and TV
Copyright & Licensing

How to Land a Sync License for Your Music in Film and TV

Landing a placement in film or TV can deliver a meaningful sync fee and a big visibility boost, but most opportunities stall because rights are unclear or assets are poorly packaged. This practical guide shows how to get a sync license step-by-step: which rights to clear, the exact files and metadata supervisors expect, where to pitch, negotiation musts, and how to collect every fee and performance royalty after a placement.

Read More