Beyond digital distribution, protecting your creative work means registering your compositions and sound recordings with the right organizations. Here is a step-by-step breakdown of how Performance Rights, Mechanical Rights, and SoundExchange work so you can claim 100% of what you earn
A Performance right is implicated when a Composition (lyrics and melody) is publicly performed, such as through:
- Radio broadcasts
- TV broadcasts
- Streaming services
- Live concerts
- Restaurants, bars, and retail stores playing music
- Background music services
To collect when your songs have their performance rights used, you must register with a Performance Rights Organisation (PRO) in your region, and then manually submit your song data and split details to them.
A Mechanical right is implicated when a musical composition (the song itself, not the recording) is reproduced.
Mechanical rights are implicated when your composition is reproduced via:
- Interactive streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.)
- Permanent downloads (iTunes, Amazon MP3)
- Certain other digital reproductions
These rights can be claimed through a Mechanical Rights Organisation (MRO), such as the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) in the United States, or the corresponding MRO in your region.
SoundExchange is a US-only nonprofit organisation that administers performance rights for the Sound recording of the song.
Unlike PROs such as ASCAP or BMI (which pay songwriters and publishers), SoundExchange specifically administers performance rights for the sound recording side (the actual recorded track).
BandLab registers all of your release ISRCs to SoundExchange for you! All you need to do is register yourself on SoundExchange, claim those registered releases in your catalog, and ensure your payment and tax information is correct. If you have any questions about SoundExchange and their service, please reach out to them here.
Note: SoundExchange only collects and distributes earnings for recordings streamed on non-interactive platforms like Pandora and SiriusXM. Streams on interactive platforms like Spotify and Apple Music are collected and distributed by BandLab.
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