REKN
Neighbouring rights society · United Kingdom

How to register with PPL.

Register with PPL to collect neighbouring rights royalties whenever your master recordings are played on UK radio, television, in venues, and internationally through a network of over 100 reciprocal agreements.

⏱ 20–30 minutesNeighbouring rights
1

Understand PRS vs PPL

UK artists commonly confuse these two:

  • PRS = royalties for the composition (the song you wrote)
  • PPL = royalties for the recording (your specific version being played)

    • A UK artist who writes and records their own music needs BOTH. If you only write (don't record) you need PRS only. If you only record (cover artist or session musician) you need PPL only.

    Why this matters

    UK artists regularly miss PPL because they assume PRS covers everything. PPL royalties from radio and TV can be substantial — the same record played on BBC Radio 1 generates both a PRS payment to the songwriter and a PPL payment to the recording artist.

    Common mistake

    Registering for PRS but not PPL. Both are required for full coverage if you're a recording artist.

    2

    Register as Performer and/or Record Company (Free)

    Register at ppluk.com — registration is completely free for both performers and record companies.


    Performer: Register if you are a featured artist on recordings.

    Record Company: Register if you own the master recordings (most independent artists).


    Independent artists who own their masters should register for both roles.

    Register at PPL →
    Why this matters

    PPL pays both the Performer share and the Record Company share separately. If you only register as a Performer, you miss the Record Company share — and vice versa.

    Common mistake

    Registering only as a Performer and not as the Record Company. Independent artists who own their masters should claim both shares.

    3

    Register Your Recordings

    Add each recording to your PPL account with:

  • Recording title
  • ISRC code
  • Performer credits (you and any session musicians)
  • Release date

    • More detailed performer credits = better matching = more royalties distributed. Include session musicians where possible.

    PPL Performer Portal
    Why this matters

    PPL matches radio play logs against registered ISRCs. If your recording isn't registered or the ISRC is missing, plays are collected but unmatched.

    Common mistake

    Not including session musician credits. PPL distributes a portion of royalties to session musicians — including their details improves matching accuracy for your own share.

    4

    Mandate PPL for International Collection

    PPL has reciprocal agreements with over 100 neighbouring rights societies worldwide. Your UK PPL registration automatically triggers international collection through partner societies.


    In your PPL account, review the international mandating options to actively instruct partner societies (such as GVL in Germany, SAMI in Sweden, ADAMI in France) to collect on your behalf.


    Review your PPL account periodically to see international distributions.

    PPL International Rights
    Why this matters

    Your recordings played on radio in Germany, France, Canada, and Australia generate neighbouring rights royalties — collected by their local societies and remitted to PPL for distribution to you. Actively mandating PPL ensures these societies know you are represented.

    Common mistake

    Assuming PPL only covers UK plays. The reciprocal network means a single PPL registration reaches dozens of countries — but you may need to actively authorize the international collection.

    Rekon tracks whether you're actually registered with PPL — and 36 others.

    Connect your platforms once and Rekon flags every registration gap automatically, with the exact fix for each.

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    Rekon is independent of PPL. It is not affiliated with, authorised by, or sponsored by it.