What Are Neighboring Rights?
Neighboring rights (also called related rights or performer rights) are a type of royalty earned by the master recording owner and the featured performers when a song is:
- Broadcast on radio (terrestrial, satellite, or internet radio)
- Played on TV or in films
- Performed in public spaces (shops, restaurants, airports)
- Streamed on certain digital platforms that generate performance royalties separately from streaming royalties
Neighboring rights are separate from publishing royalties (which go to songwriters/composers). As the recording artist and master rights owner, neighboring rights are owed to you even if you did not write the song.
Who Collects Neighboring Rights?
Neighboring rights are collected by national collection societies. Examples include:
- PPL — United Kingdom
- GVL — Germany
- SCPP / SPPF — France
- SoundExchange — USA (digital performance royalties)
- AARC — USA (analogue audio recording royalties)
- MRCSN — Nigeria
- SAMRO / RASA — South Africa
Without registration, these societies hold your unclaimed royalties — often for years — before they are redistributed.
How Does InterSpace Help With Neighboring Rights?
InterSpace registers your releases with SoundExchange and distributes to platforms like Pandora, iHeartRadio, and SiriusXM that generate neighboring rights for US digital performance. For other territories, we recommend registering directly with your national collection society.
How to Register for Neighboring Rights
- Identify your local PRO/collection society — search for the collecting society in your country that handles master recording rights (separate from the one for songwriting).
- Register as an artist — most societies have a free online registration process.
- Register your releases — submit your ISRC codes (which InterSpace provides) so your recordings are correctly identified.
- Register internationally — societies like PPL (UK) have reciprocal agreements with societies in 100+ countries, so registering in one territory often means you collect globally.
SoundExchange (USA)
If your music is played on US digital radio services (Pandora, SiriusXM), SoundExchange collects performance royalties on your behalf. InterSpace submits ISRC data to SoundExchange-connected platforms, but you should also register directly with SoundExchange to ensure you receive 100% of your earnings as both the rights holder and featured artist.