Neighboring Rights
International master-performance royalties SoundExchange doesn't cover.
What it is
Neighboring rights are performance royalties on the SOUND RECORDING (master) collected in many countries outside the U.S. when the recording is broadcast or publicly performed. Different territories have their own collective management organizations.
When you need it
Once your recordings get radio/broadcast or public performance internationally.
Usually collected by a neighboring-rights administrator/agency that takes a percentage. Verify current terms.
Where artists lose money
SoundExchange only covers the U.S. Most artists have never heard of neighboring rights and never register to collect the equivalent money abroad — so it accumulates unclaimed in foreign societies.
Why the U.S. is different
The U.S. does not have a general terrestrial-radio performance right for sound recordings the way many other countries do. So neighboring-rights income is largely an INTERNATIONAL phenomenon.
Because the U.S. doesn't reciprocate fully, eligibility rules for collecting in each territory can be nuanced. A neighboring-rights administrator handles registering you with foreign societies and collecting on your behalf.
Neighboring rights are collected per-territory by foreign collective management organizations; eligibility and rates vary by country.