The scale is visible
Neighbouring rights are not marginal. PPL reported £315.3 million in 2025 revenue, including £94 million from international activity, and said it paid more than 182,000 performers and recording rightsholders.[1]
GVL reported €257.927 million in 2025 collections, while SENA reported €86.9 million in gross payments to performers and producers.[2][3] These are differently defined measures and should not be compared as if they were identical.
The payment path is territorial
Recorded-music uses, eligibility rules and collection arrangements vary by country. A performer or recording rightsholder can appoint an organisation to collect internationally where reciprocal or bilateral arrangements exist. PPL explains that it identifies relevant uses, validates claims, pursues payment and allocates income under its international mandate.[4]
The data supplied matters. Performer line-ups, recording claims, ownership details and identifiers such as IPN help societies identify the correct recipient.
Coverage and mandates need checking
A team should not assume that one registration produces identical coverage everywhere. It should confirm which territories and uses the appointed organisation covers, whether the mandate is exclusive, and how local eligibility rules apply.
Direct registration in an additional territory is not automatically better. It may duplicate or conflict with an existing exclusive mandate. The correct route depends on the member agreement and the society relationship.
A practical catalogue check
- Confirm every performer and recording rightsholder is registered with the chosen organisation.
- Claim each recording and maintain complete performer line-ups.
- Record the territories, uses and dates covered by each mandate.
- Reconcile international statements against known airplay and eligible uses.
- Query gaps with source evidence rather than assuming underpayment.
What cannot yet be claimed
The current official sources demonstrate material cross-border activity and a data-dependent payment process. They do not establish that neighbouring rights are the most underclaimed income stream, that most UK performers are missing money, or a universal underclaim rate. Those questions require a defined catalogue sample and auditable claim data.
How this note was prepared.
- Evidence class
- public-source analysis
- Method
- Comparison of current annual results from PPL, GVL and SENA with PPL guidance on international performer collection, eligibility and mandates. Figures are labelled as revenue, collections or gross payments according to each source.
- Limitations
- The sources do not establish a general underclaim rate, rank the highest-paying markets or show that most UK performers are missing money. Society accounting definitions and eligible uses differ, so totals are not directly comparable.
Primary and official sources.
- PPL delivers 4.75% year-on-year growth with annual revenue of £315.3 million Supports: PPL reports £315.3 million total revenue, £94 million international revenue and payments to more than 182,000 performers and recording rightsholders for 2025.
- GVL closes 2025 financial year with stable earnings performance Supports: GVL reports €257.927 million in total collections, including broadcast, retransmission and public-performance revenue.
- Sena presenteert jaarcijfers 2025 Supports: SENA reports licence income and €86.9 million in gross payments to performers and producers for 2025.
- International royalties for performers Supports: PPL explains international mandates, recording claims, validation, IPN identifiers and differences in performer qualification between countries.