What Are Neighbouring Rights Royalties?

They’re not earned in the U.S. but are relevant to global artists.

Neighbouring rights are not part of music publishing; they are earned by a master recording’s owner(s) and featured performer(s) when a song is publicly broadcast or performed. The revenue from neighbouring rights royalties is generated by terrestrial (broadcast) internet (Pandora) and satellite (SirusXM) radio play, cable TV channels, businesses that use background music (e.g., restaurants, hotels, and stores), live clubs and concert venues, and various online media outlets.

In the U.S., broadcast radio stations do not earn a master-side royalty. However, master owners and performing artists are owed royalties for internet and satellite radio play, which is generally collected by an organization called SoundExchange.

The best way for you to start collecting these royalties is to affiliate and register your master recording with the neighbouring rights collection societies in every territory where your music is being listened to. Songtrust does not collect neighbouring rights royalties, but we did put together this detailed post on what’s quickly become a billion-dollar source of income within the music industry.

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