PPL and Neighbouring Rights for UK Releases

PPL is the UK collecting society for recorded music. When a recording is played in public or broadcast in the UK, PPL collects licence fees and pays them to the people with rights in that recording. These are neighbouring rights, and they are separate from streaming income and from songwriting royalties. Many independent artists never claim them, mostly because nobody explained what they are or who is meant to register the recording.

This guide explains neighbouring rights in plain terms, how they differ from the royalties you already see, how WBBT’s PPL UK option works when you release music, how to prepare your releases for it, and the mistakes that cause trouble. It is practical guidance, not legal or tax advice, and nothing in it promises that a recording will earn anything.

What neighbouring rights are

Every released song carries two sets of rights. The composition is the song as written: the melody and lyrics, owned by songwriters and publishers. The recording is a particular performance captured on a master, owned by whoever made or paid for it, with rights for the performers who played or sang on it. Neighbouring rights sit on the recording side. They are the rights to be paid when a recording is played in public or broadcast.

In the UK that includes radio and television broadcasts and recordings played in shops, bars, gyms, venues and other public places. PPL licenses those uses and distributes the money to its members. That is why a track that never feels “big” on streaming can still be a source of public performance income.

Income	The right behind it	Who usually collects
Streams and downloads of your recording	The recording (master)	Your distributor, from the stores, reported in monthly cycles
Songwriting royalties	The composition	Publishers and publishing societies such as PRS for Music and MCPS
UK public performance and broadcast of your recording	A neighbouring right	PPL, through the registered rightsholder or an authorised collector

The three are different registrations, with different forms and different payment dates. A distributor statement does not include all of them, and registering with one does not register you with the others.

Who is paid

PPL pays two groups: the rightsholders in a recording, and the performers who appear on it. One person can be both, as many artists are when they record and perform their own music. The two shares are separate, and performers have their own relationship with PPL. If you also performed on recordings, check PPL’s guidance, or ask WBBT support, about how performer payments apply to you. WBBT’s option described below concerns registering the recording.

How the PPL UK option works at WBBT

WBBT Group Ltd, the company behind WBBT Records, is a PPL member. Collection is an optional service, switched on per release. In the Release Wizard the option can appear as “Collect Publishing Rights” with a PPL UK label. Despite the word “publishing” in that name, it concerns neighbouring rights in the recording. It does not register the song with any publishing society.

• You keep the recording. Ownership of the master stays with you.
• You license the UK rights. While the option is on, you grant WBBT Group Ltd an exclusive licence of the UK public performance and broadcast rights in that recording. WBBT registers the recording with PPL as exclusive licensee and collects the royalties for you.
• Nothing else is licensed. Your streaming and download income, your stores and your rights outside the UK are not affected.
• Turn it off if it is already registered. If you, another distributor or a label has already registered the recording with PPL, switch the option off. A recording should be registered once.
• You can switch it off at any time. It then ends for future PPL distributions, and you can turn it on again later.

The wizard shows the exact wording when you reach the option, and that text, together with your distribution agreement, is what applies. Read it before you tick the box. If a plan does not include PPL collection, the option is locked. The pricing page shows which plans include PPL collection and neighbouring rights support, and the PPL and neighbouring rights page describes the service.

How to prepare your releases for PPL

1. Check whether anyone has registered the recording already. Look at your old distributor agreements, label contracts and any PPL account you hold. If a registration exists, leave the box off for that recording.
2. Be sure you control the recording. The licence is granted by the person who owns or controls the master. A recording that contains a sample or licensed material, or was made under a label deal, may not be yours to license. Settle that first.
3. Get your identifiers right. PPL works from the ISRC of each recording. Use the correct code and keep it unchanged when you re-release. ISRC and UPC codes explained shows when a recording keeps its code.
4. Write down the performers. Keep a list of who performed on each recording and in what role. PPL asks for performer and recording details that stores do not, such as who performed and when it was recorded, so gather them while you remember them. If information is missing, registration can wait until it is supplied.
5. Decide per release. In the wizard, tick the PPL UK option for recordings that are unregistered and yours, and untick it for anything already registered. For a release you have already submitted, switch it on or off on the release’s page in My Releases.
6. Release the music as normal. Registration follows release. A recording is put forward once the release has been distributed, in periodic batches, so do not expect it to appear at PPL on release day.
7. Keep your records. Save the licence wording you accepted, the date, the ISRCs and any confirmation from support.
8. Check the money in the right place. PPL income is not store streaming income. Ask support how it is reported on your plan, and do not expect it on the same schedule or in the same statement line as store royalties.

Where publishing fits

If you write your own songs, you may also be owed songwriting royalties. Those belong to the composition and are handled by publishers and publishing societies. They need their own registrations, which list the writers, shares and works. WBBT’s PPL UK option does not register compositions, and PPL membership is not a universal songwriting registration. Our note on WBBT and PPL and the guide to royalty splits and payouts explain how the pieces fit. If you co-write, agree the song splits in writing, because they decide who is paid on the composition side.

What to expect

There is no fixed timeline. After release, a recording has to be put forward and accepted by PPL, and PPL pays on its own schedule. Even when a recording is registered, there is no guarantee that any money is waiting to be paid. Registration is a way to be eligible, and eligibility is not income. If a payment looks late, send support the ISRC, the release title and what you expected. Avoid sending full financial documents over public channels.

If you are moving from another distributor

A new distributor can register your recordings again, which is why this is the most common source of overlap. Before you switch, ask your old distributor whether it registered your recordings with PPL and whether it will release that registration. Keep the PPL option off for those recordings until you are sure who holds the registration, and tell WBBT support about the existing agreement. The guide to switching distributors covers the wider checklist.

Mistakes to avoid

• Leaving the option on for a recording that you or a former distributor already registered.
• Treating PPL as songwriting royalties, or as a worldwide registration.
• Ticking the box for a recording whose master you do not control.
• Changing a recording’s audio and keeping its old ISRC, or the reverse.
• Forgetting to record who performed on the track.
• Expecting PPL money to appear in your streaming statement on release day.
• Assuming registration guarantees income.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need PPL if my music is only on streaming services?

Streaming income comes through your distributor and is separate from PPL. PPL concerns recordings played in public or broadcast in the UK, such as on radio, television and in shops, bars and gyms. Whether that matters to you depends on how likely your recordings are to be played in those places.

Do I have to be based in the UK?

The Release Wizard option does not ask where you live. What matters is whether a recording is eligible under PPL’s rules and is registered with PPL once. WBBT’s option relates to UK public performance and broadcast rights only. Check PPL’s guidance for your own situation.

What does the licence I give WBBT cover?

You keep ownership of the recording. While the option is on, you grant WBBT Group Ltd an exclusive licence of the UK public performance and broadcast rights in that recording, so it can register the recording with PPL and collect for you. Your streaming and download income, your stores and your rights outside the UK are not affected. The exact wording is shown in the Release Wizard, and that text is what applies.

What if another distributor or I already registered the recording with PPL?

Turn the option off for that release. A recording should be registered with PPL once, and overlapping claims can delay payment. Tell WBBT support about any existing society registrations or collection agreements.

Can I turn it off later?

Yes. Untick the box in the Release Wizard, or, for a release you have already submitted, switch PPL UK off on that release’s page in My Releases. It takes effect without an edit request and ends for future PPL distributions. You can turn it back on later.

Will I definitely earn money from PPL?

No. Registration does not guarantee that any royalties exist or that they will be recovered. Collection depends on eligibility, repertoire, territory, mandates and reporting. Treat it as an extra source that may or may not produce income.

Next steps and further reading

Compare the plans to see which include PPL collection, then submit your music and decide the option for each release. The PPL and neighbouring rights page and the royalties section of the FAQ answer common questions. PPL publishes its own explanations at ppluk.com, which is the right place to check eligibility, current rules and how performers register. Rules, plans and terms change, so confirm the details for your own account and recordings.