After You Buy
Royalties Explained
Master, publishing and neighbouring rights explained for music producers
What each type of music royalty is, who collects it, how it reaches you, and what you may owe the vocalist or the other artists on your record.
If you have bought a vocal from HitVocals and you are wondering what happens once your track starts earning money, this guide explains the basics: master royalties, publishing royalties and neighbouring rights, who collects each one, how it reaches you, and what you may owe the vocalist.
Music royalties have a reputation for being complicated. Most of that comes down to a single distinction.
About this guide
This is a plain-English explanation of how music royalties generally work, written for producers. It is not legal or financial advice, and it does not replace your agreements. The licence supplied with your purchase is the document that governs the specific vocal you bought.
The Difference Between a Song and a Master
Almost every confusion about royalties dissolves once you see that a song and a recording of that song are two different pieces of property, owned separately and earning separately.
The composition
The lyrics and the music. What you would still have if nobody had ever recorded it - the thing you could hand to a different singer tomorrow. Owned by whoever wrote it.
The master
One particular recorded performance of that song, produced and finished for release. Record it twice and you have two masters of one composition.
They are separate copyrights, which is why one stream can generate more than one kind of royalty, paid to different people, arriving by different routes and often at different times. It is also why the same play can owe money to a songwriter who was never in the room and to a performer who never wrote a word.
If you are releasing a cover version, this distinction is the whole subject - our covers guide works through what you need before you put one out.
The Three Main Types of Music Royalties
Three kinds of income can come off one release. They are not alternatives; a single track can generate all three at once.
Master Royalties
Master royalties relate to the sound recording itself - the finished master. They can be generated when your recording is streamed, downloaded, sold, broadcast or otherwise exploited.
If you produced and own the recording, this is the income that comes to you, normally through your label or your distributor.
Publishing Royalties
Publishing royalties relate to the underlying composition - the lyrics, the melody, the songwriting. They can be generated through streams, radio, live performance, mechanical reproduction, synchronisation into film, television and advertising, and other uses of the composition.
They are typically collected by publishers and collecting societies on behalf of the writers, rather than arriving with your master income. Our publishing guide goes into this side in more detail.
Neighbouring Rights
Neighbouring rights are the ones producers most often have never heard of. They relate to certain rights connected with the recorded performance, and are generally associated with performers and recording rights holders rather than with songwriters.
They are separate from publishing. A singer who wrote none of the song can still have a neighbouring-rights claim on a recording they performed on. In the UK, organisations such as PPL collect relevant neighbouring-rights income for registered performers and recording rightsholders, and both the recording and the performers generally need to be registered for anything to be collected.
Put next to each other, the three become much easier to hold on to:
Songwriter
PublishingWrote the lyrics or the melody. Paid on the composition, however many recordings of it exist.
Recording rightsholder
MasterOwns the finished recording. Usually you, as the producer, unless a label owns it.
Performer
NeighbouringSang or played on the recording. A claim that exists whether or not they wrote anything.
One person can occupy more than one of those columns. A vocalist who wrote the topline and sang it is a songwriter and a performer, and may have a claim on two of the three.
Who Collects Each Type of Royalty?
Different money, different pipes. This is why royalty income never arrives as one payment.
| Royalty | Relates to | Common collection route |
|---|---|---|
| Master | The sound recording | Label, distributor or other master rightsholder |
| Publishing | The song or composition | Publisher and collecting society, on behalf of the writers |
| Neighbouring rights | Recorded performances and related rights | The relevant neighbouring-rights organisation, such as PPL in the UK |
Collection routes vary by country and by the agreements involved. Registration is usually required before anything can be collected on your behalf.
How Streaming Royalties Work
A single stream can generate both recording income and publishing income. These are handled through different rights and different collection routes, so the money does not arrive as one payment to one person.
A listener streams your track
-
Recording / master income
Generated by the use of your master. Flows to whoever holds the recording rights.
Platform → distributor or label → master rightsholder -
Publishing income
Generated by the use of the composition. Flows to the writers through the publishing chain.
Platform → collecting society or publisher → songwriters
How much a stream generates, and how it is divided between the rightsholders, depends on the platform, the territory, the agreements in place and the rights involved. Anyone quoting you a single fixed split for every stream on every service is simplifying something that genuinely varies.
For a producer that has a practical consequence. Publishing money will not turn up in your distributor statement, and master money will not turn up from your publisher. If you are only watching one of them, you are only seeing part of what the record earned.
What Happens When You Buy a Vocal From HitVocals?
Buying a vocal does not necessarily mean buying every right associated with the finished song. The licence you receive sets out which rights are granted to you and which obligations apply, covering both the vocal recording and the underlying songwriting.
Depending on the vocal and the licence, the vocalist may retain an agreed share of master, publishing and/or neighbouring-rights income. Artists set their own terms on HitVocals, and you see those terms before you buy rather than after.
HitVocals itself takes no royalties. The commission is on the sale and nothing after it - there is no ongoing cut of your master, your publishing or your neighbouring rights.
The document that counts
Everything on this page is a general explanation. Your individual HitVocals licence agreement is the definitive document for the specific vocal you purchased - it names the shares, the credits and the obligations that actually apply to your track. Our licence guide walks through what is in it.
What Royalties Do I Owe the Vocalist?
This is the question most producers actually arrive with. The answer depends on how the track is released and on what your licence says, and it splits three ways.
If a label or distributor releases the track
They will usually handle royalty payments through their normal accounting system. Your job is to make sure the vocalist's agreed rights, shares and credits are supplied correctly and included in the paperwork - a label cannot pay a share it was never told about, and a registration made without the writer on it is difficult to unpick later.
If you self-release
The income comes directly to you, which means accounting for and paying the vocalist's agreed share is your responsibility, in line with your licence agreement. Nobody else is in the chain to do it for you.
If the track earns nothing
Where the agreement provides for a percentage of actual income, there is nothing to pay when no relevant income has been generated. A share of nothing is nothing. This is worth knowing early, because it is the thing producers most often worry about before releasing anything at all.
A Simple Royalty Example
Abstract percentages get much clearer with real numbers in them. Two separate pots, two separate sums.
Master income
Publishing income
These are simplified illustrations. The actual percentages and payment obligations are set by the licence and the agreements that apply to your track, not by this example.
Does a Vocalist Get Publishing on My Track?
Not automatically, simply because they performed the vocal. Publishing relates to the underlying songwriting contribution, not to the performance.
If the vocalist contributed lyrics, melody or other copyrightable songwriting elements - which, with a topline, they usually have - they may have an agreed songwriting or publishing share. If they sang something you had already written, the position can be different.
Performing on the recording is a separate matter again, and is where neighbouring rights come in rather than publishing. Check the specific HitVocals licence and the songwriting arrangements for the vocal you bought; both are set out before you purchase.
Does “Royalty-Free” Mean No Royalties At All?
Not necessarily, and this one catches people out. “Royalty-free” generally describes the licensing terms attached to one particular piece of content. It does not mean every right associated with your finished song or recording disappears.
A royalty-free sample can sit inside a track that still owes publishing to a songwriter, still generates neighbouring rights for a performer, and still has to be registered properly. The phrase describes what you owe for that sample, not what your record owes overall.
Always read the licence attached to the specific vocal or sample you are using. On HitVocals the licence type is shown on the sample itself and can be filtered for.
Crediting the Vocalist and Songwriters
Credit is not a courtesy, it is part of how the money finds the right people. A publishing share that nobody registered does not pay out on goodwill.
Correct crediting matters even where the vocalist has chosen not to appear in the public-facing track title. The relevant credit information should still be used where it is required for label copy, registrations and rights administration - which is most of the places that actually determine who gets paid.
The artist's required credit details are set out in the HitVocals licensing agreement. If you are unsure which name belongs in which field, ask before you deliver to a distributor rather than after.
A Producer’s Release Checklist
Before you release a track built on a HitVocals vocal, run through this. It takes a few minutes and it prevents nearly every royalty problem we get asked about.
- Know which licence you bought. Exclusive and non-exclusive carry different terms - the non-exclusive guide covers what changes.
- Check the artist’s agreed master share. It is stated in the agreement before you buy.
- Check the publishing or songwriting split, and who needs to be registered as a writer.
- Understand any neighbouring-rights arrangement, and whether the performers need registering.
- Use the correct artist and songwriter credits on label copy and every registration, not just the track title.
- Keep your HitVocals licence agreement. It is the document you will be asked for if anything is ever queried.
- Tell your label or distributor about the relevant rights before delivery. They cannot account for a share they do not know exists.
Music Royalty Glossary
The words that do most of the work on this page, in one place.
- Master
- The finished sound recording of a song.
- Composition
- The underlying song - the lyrics and the music, separate from any recording of it.
- Publishing
- The rights and income associated with the composition.
- Mechanical royalty
- Income associated with the reproduction of a composition, physically or digitally.
- Performance royalty
- Income generated by certain public performances and broadcasts of a composition.
- Neighbouring rights
- Rights associated with certain uses of recordings and recorded performances, distinct from publishing.
- Writer’s share
- The songwriter’s portion of the relevant publishing income.
- Publisher’s share
- The portion administered or retained according to the publishing arrangement.
- Synchronisation
- Licensing a song and recording for use with picture - film, television, games, advertising.
- Collecting society
- An organisation that licenses certain uses and collects and distributes the resulting income on behalf of its members.
Getting It Right First Time
The simplest way to avoid problems is to understand the licence before you release the track rather than after. Keep your agreements, credit the contributors correctly, and make sure any agreed royalty or publishing arrangement is reflected in your release and registration information.
Do that and the rest tends to look after itself. Get it wrong and the fix is always slower and more awkward than the five minutes it would have taken at the start.
If you do not have a publisher of your own, we can help. If you are an artist rather than a producer and you are wondering how your money reaches you, the payments guide covers that side.
Music Royalties: Common Questions
The questions producers ask once a record is out and the money starts moving.
What are music royalties?
Music royalties are payments generated when a song or a recording is used - streamed, downloaded, broadcast, performed publicly or synchronised to picture. Different rights in the same track generate different royalties, which is why one release can produce several separate streams of income paid to different people.
What are master royalties?
Master royalties relate to the sound recording itself. They can be generated when your recording is streamed, downloaded, sold, broadcast or otherwise exploited, and they flow to whoever holds the recording rights, normally through a label or distributor.
What are publishing royalties?
Publishing royalties relate to the underlying composition - the lyrics and the melody rather than any particular recording of them. They can be generated through streams, radio, live performance, mechanical reproduction and synchronisation, and are typically collected by publishers and collecting societies on behalf of the writers.
What are neighbouring rights?
Neighbouring rights relate to certain rights connected with recorded performances, and are generally associated with performers and recording rightsholders. They are separate from publishing: a performer who wrote none of the song can still have a neighbouring-rights claim. In the UK, organisations such as PPL collect this income for registered performers and rightsholders.
What is the difference between master and publishing royalties?
Master royalties are earned by the recording; publishing royalties are earned by the song. Record the same composition twice and you have two masters but still one composition. They are owned separately, collected through different routes and often paid at different times, which is why they never arrive together.
Do vocalists get royalties?
They can. Depending on the vocal and the licence, a HitVocals vocalist may retain an agreed share of master, publishing and/or neighbouring-rights income. Artists set their own terms and those terms are visible before you buy, so you know what a release will owe before you commit to it.
Does a vocalist automatically get publishing?
No, not simply because they performed on the track. Publishing follows the songwriting contribution. If the vocalist wrote lyrics, melody or other copyrightable elements - which is usually the case with a topline - they may have an agreed songwriting or publishing share. Check the licence and the songwriting arrangements for the specific vocal.
Do I have to pay a vocalist royalties?
If your licence provides for a share of income, then yes, on the terms it sets out. How you do it depends on the release: a label or distributor will usually account through its own system, while a self-release leaves the accounting and payment to you.
What happens if my track earns no money?
Where the agreement provides for a percentage of actual income, there is nothing to pay if no relevant income has been generated. A percentage of nothing is nothing.
Who collects master royalties?
Master income is normally collected by the label, the distributor or another master rightsholder, and paid on to whoever holds the recording rights under the agreements in place.
Who collects publishing royalties?
Publishers and collecting societies, on behalf of the writers. The exact route depends on the territory and on the publishing arrangements, and registration is generally needed before anything can be collected.
Who collects neighbouring rights?
The relevant neighbouring-rights organisation for the territory - PPL in the UK, with equivalent bodies elsewhere. Both the recording and the performers generally need to be registered before income can be collected and distributed.
How do streaming royalties work?
A stream can generate both recording income and publishing income, handled through separate rights and separate collection routes. How much a stream generates, and how it is divided between rightsholders, depends on the platform, the territory, the agreements and the rights involved - there is no single fixed split that applies everywhere.
What happens when I buy a vocal from HitVocals?
You receive a licence setting out which rights are granted to you and which obligations apply, covering both the recording and the underlying songwriting. Depending on the vocal, the artist may retain an agreed share of future income. HitVocals takes its commission on the sale and no royalties afterwards.
Does royalty-free mean no royalties at all?
Not necessarily. It generally describes the terms attached to one particular piece of content, not to your finished record. A royalty-free sample can sit inside a track that still owes publishing to a songwriter and still generates neighbouring rights for a performer. Read the licence attached to the specific vocal or sample you are using.
How do I credit a vocalist?
Use the credit details set out in your HitVocals licensing agreement, and use them on label copy and registrations as well as anywhere public-facing. This matters even where the artist has chosen not to appear in the track title, because registrations are what determine who actually gets paid.
Do I need to keep my HitVocals licence?
Yes. It is the definitive record of what you licensed and on what terms, and it is the document you will be asked for if a share, a credit or a registration is ever queried. Keep it somewhere you can find it years later.
Still Not Sure Who Gets What?
Royalties are easier to sort out before a release than after one. Tell us which vocal you licensed and what you are planning, and we will walk you through exactly what your agreement commits you to.
support@hitvocals.co.ukThank you
Ready For Your Next Vocal?
Every licence sets out the artist’s share in plain terms before you buy, so you always know what a release will owe.
Questions about a specific licence? Email support@hitvocals.co.uk