RIGHTS RETRIEVER
Rights Retriever offers Neighbouring Rights representation for rightsholders/labels worldwide. Over the years we have found that there are problems with the various collecting societies in communicating data to one another. Through sorting out our own repertoire we realized that this was an industry-wide issue and began to offer our services to others, acting as an advocate for their rights. In the past ten years we have been able to increase revenues collected (many times over) as well as reconcile many problems that would have gone unnoticed otherwise.
WHAT ARE NEIGHBOURING RIGHTS?
Neighbouring Rights is a term for a collection of rights which sit alongside (i.e. “neighbouring”) the copyright in a song. Whereas song copyright exists in the music and lyrics written by a songwriter and most often controlled by a music publisher, Neighbouring Rights exists in the recording of a song. Such recordings are often known as sound-recordings or phonograms and when publicly performed or broadcast they generate a royalty, with income flowing both to the performers on the record and the label funding its production.
WHAT DO WE DO?
– Register rights Globally with the various societies and handle the paperwork. We can coordinate the details per territory involving paperwork and registration requirements.
– We take care of foreign taxes, including the USA.
– Prepare and submit complete catalogue repertoire data per track to the societies.
– Maintain direct contact with the societies in order to efficiently solve problems when they occur.
– If the society has a system for claiming back incorrectly paid fees we will pursue any revenues wrongfully paid. We will not take any legal action on the part of the rightsholder, but will rather advise if necessary.
– Provide detailed excel statements of airplay and payment per track per territory four times a year.
– Receive statements for payments and collect on your behalf. All of which is very transparent and we will provide you with copies.
– Send you statements for which you invoice us. The invoice will be paid within five working days.
WHAT DO WE COLLECT?
Each territory has different rules over what qualifies for remuneration and how this is accessed. We ensure everything available is claimed, including:
– Broadcast: when music is played on TV and radio
– Public Performance: when recordings are played in public places such as bars, shops and offices
– Online: when music is streamed on certain “non-interactive” services
– Private Copy: a levy on sales of personal media which enable music to be copied
– Dubbing: fees charged when music is copied for commercial purposes
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO?
– Provide us with authorization documents and provide information for paperwork for membership in societies if you aren’t already a member. We have most of the necessary forms as well as templates in order to facilitate this.
– Contact your local collecting society to inform them of our representation of your repertoire if you have already given them a mandate.
– Provide us with the most complete data you have available. Often you have this readily available as the metadata provided for download services. It will be easy for you to transfer this metadata into our Template.
– Field some phone calls and emails regarding ownership. Initial set-up requires more contact until we have settled all of the issues which we will encounter.
EXAMPLES OF PROBLEMS ENTERING METADATA AND WHY IS CORRECT METADATA SO IMPORTANT?
– Metadata requirements differ in every territory, thus requiring a manual input in order to be certain information is correctly submitted.
– Mistakes are often made with the original input of data including contractual discrepancies.
– Playlists often contain incomplete or incorrect information when submitted.
– Compilations of licensed material which does not include Neighbouring Rights is often claimed by another label.
– Double claims, territory conflicts and other unforeseeable problems which only come to our attention through the registration of the complete repertoire.