“Neighbouring Rights” also called “Related Rights” are called as much
because they ‘neighbour/sit next to the song copyrights. It is a sound
recording royalty for any performer who has made an audible contribution to
a recording, and to the rights holder who owns the recording.
Quick Facts
1
We encounter artists and their managers mixing up PRS and PPL every day, and the two societies are completely separate and unrelated. Your song-writing has absolutely no bearing on your neighbouring rights.
2
Don't assume when your recording was registered that your own contribution was added or added correctly. Ensure to submit your claim(s) on that track and watch out for evidence requests!
3
Just because you are a member of PPL (or another CMO*) does not mean your discography is up-to-date. You need to manually make your own claims, which is time-consuming but totally worthwhile.
4
Not every territory pays neighbouring rights for producing, (PPL and Swissperform do), but there are other similar, payable roles.
5
Do you know the difference between a "contracted featured artist", or a "non-featured artist", and what about "other featured artist"?
6
As of 1st of July 2020, US performers and labels get "national treatment" in Canada and will now receive neighbouring rights from the public performance of recordings there.
7
Streaming does not pay for neighbouring rights, however there are two exceptions: AIE in Spain pays for Spotify, and EJI in Hungary pays for Deezer!
8
Have you performed more than one role on a track? Ensure you list them all.
*CMO stands for “Collective Management Organisation”. CMOs are licensing bodies responsible for collecting neighbouring rights royalties.
What does IAFAR do?
The International Association for Artists & Rightsholders (IAFAR) is an organisation that protects, educates
and advocates for those of us in neighbouring and related rights.
Advocacy
IAFAR was founded to tackle worldwide issues affecting the collection of artists neighbouring rights. Our aim is to collaborate with CMO’s and other interested parties to ensure the collection of these rights are as efficient and streamlined as they can be and that all performers receive the income they are rightfully entitled to.
Education
Many people do not know what neighbouring rights are and therefore also do not know what their rights are in this area. As IAFAR grows, it will provide workshops and literature to help educate and de-mystify this part of the music industry.
Community
Providing a community to support, debate and foster this new way of thinking will be beneficial to all members. A common love of beverages also brings us together.