Neighboring rights are royalties generated when your sound recordings (masters) are publicly performed or broadcast (for example: radio, TV, clubs, and certain digital uses). These royalties are typically collected internationally via local rights societies (for example PPL, SoundExchange, GVL, PPCA).
Important: Neighboring rights are not the same as publishing / songwriter royalties. This program is focused on royalties connected to the recording (master).
Where do neighboring rights royalties come from?
Common sources of neighboring rights income include:
Broadcasting (terrestrial radio, web radio, television)
Public performance (played in public places and businesses such as bars, clubs, shops, etc.)
Private copying levy (a levy on certain blank media/devices in some countries)
New online media (e.g., webcasts, simulcasting)
Note: sources, rules, and payout schedules can vary from country to country.
How does Proton collect neighboring royalties for you?
Neighboring royalties are collected by local collecting societies, and the process can be complex and slow-moving across territories. Our partner p.r.o. agency helps ensure your repertoire is properly registered, claimed, monitored, and accounted for internationally.
Note: Neighboring rights are split 50/50 between the label/master owner share and the performer share. Proton (together with our partner agency) collects the label/master share (50%) on your behalf.
Proton’s role is to make this easy for your label!
We help register your catalog through our neighboring rights partner agency
Proton is your single point of contact for anything related to neighboring rights collection (questions, updates, admin), which streamlines communication and avoids back-and-forth with multiple societies/parties
We coordinate metadata and handle ongoing follow-up to keep the process moving
When royalties are received, Proton will collect them and automatically forward them into your Proton account, included in your regular royalty statements (no separate reporting workflow required)
What our partner p.r.o. agency does behind the scenes
Our partner agency is a dedicated neighboring rights administrator with:
Direct affiliations with over 60 collecting societies worldwide
International radio airplay monitoring (to help verify society reporting)
Routine audits / “black box” controls and metadata validation to reduce errors and improve match rates
Detailed reporting and accounting support
Timing: once opted in, when should I expect payments?
Neighboring rights registrations can take a while, so royalties may only start coming in after ~3–4 quarters. However, neighboring rights are often paid retroactively (in some territories up to around 3 years), which can sometimes result in an initial catch-up payment. This varies a lot by catalog, territory, and usage, so there are no guarantees.
Is my label eligible? Join the waitlist!
Important: Neighboring rights collection tends to work best for catalogs with meaningful public performance / non-internet radio airplay activity. Because of that, we can’t onboard every label immediately, but we’re actively expanding this program over time, and we’d love to include more catalogs as it grows.
Waitlist: If you haven’t received a proactive invitation from our team, you’re welcome to join the waitlist here!
Questions?
If you have any questions, please reach out directly to the Proton team member who invited you, or drop a note to support@protonradio.com.
Note for artists/performers (collecting the performer share)
Proton’s neighboring rights service is designed for labels/master owners (the label share). If you’re an artist/performer looking to collect your performer share (50%), we recommend contacting your local neighboring rights society and signing up directly, as this involves a complex sign-up process which we cannot administer at scale.
Examples of collection societies for neighboring rights:
Germany — GVL
UK — PPL
USA — SoundExchange