When your music plays on radio, in a bar, on TV or in a public space, it generates a small royalty separate from your streaming income. That royalty is called a neighboring right, and it is paid out by collection societies (PPL in the UK, SoundExchange in the US, GVL in Germany, etc.).
How to start collecting
- Register as a performer with the society in your home country
- Submit your full discography with ISRCs
- Register with international collection partners (your home society usually does this for a small admin fee)
- Re-register annually as new tracks are released
Why most artists miss it
Neighboring rights royalties are usually quiet — they accumulate for years and arrive in lump-sum payments. The friction of registering once stops most artists. The amount left unclaimed globally is in the hundreds of millions of dollars.