Royalty Registration & Collection
How to Collect Your SoundExchange Royalties
US neighboring-rights collector for digital sound recording performances.
Digital Performance
SoundExchange is the US collection society for digital sound-recording performance royalties: the neighboring-rights money paid when a recording is publicly performed on satellite radio (SiriusXM), webcast, or non-interactive streaming (Pandora's radio tier). It's distinct from the recording royalty paid by interactive DSPs.
How the royalty is split
Each payment is divided by statute: 50% to the sound-recording owner, 45% to the featured artist, and 5% to non-featured performers (via the AFM & SAG-AFTRA Fund).
The registration gap
Distributors typically register you only as the sound-recording owner, not as the featured artist, so the 45% featured-artist share can go unclaimed unless you register directly with SoundExchange. Notes registers your recordings for both shares and reconciles the neighboring-rights royalties SoundExchange collects on your behalf. How SoundExchange royalties work →
At a glance
SoundExchange at a glance
- Based in
- United States
- Pays
- Quarterly
- Territories
- United States
How Notes works with this platform
What we do on SoundExchange
- Register. Notes registers your songs (recordings or compositions) directly with SoundExchange so the royalties it collects in its territory are matched to you.
- Register. ISRCs, ISWCs, IPI numbers, and split data are submitted to SoundExchange so payouts match the correct musician.
- Collect. Royalties SoundExchange collects on your behalf are reconciled in your Notes account, with no percentage taken.
What you earn here
Royalties SoundExchange generates
SoundExchange
- Distribution
- Broadcast
- Publishing
- Performance
SoundExchange collects these royalties on behalf of rightsholders. Notes registers you so the money it administers actually reaches you, in full, with no percentage taken.
How royalties reach you
The money flow through SoundExchange
- Your music playsOn Spotify, Apple Music, and other services.
- SoundExchange collectsSoundExchange is the collection organization that gathers the royalties those plays generate in United States.
- You get paidNotes registers you with SoundExchange so the money it collects actually reaches you, in full, with no percentage taken.
Collect everywhere
One song. Collected worldwide. Paid to you.
Your music earns through two layers. The first is distribution — the recording's streaming and download royalties, paid directly by the platforms everywhere they play it: one delivery, collected worldwide, no society involved. The second is society collections, and that's what this map shows — every territory has its own societies gathering what's earned there: performance and mechanical on the composition, plus neighbouring rights on the recording. The highlighted territories are where Notes is registered and collecting now; Notes reconciles both layers and pays it to you, with no percentage taken — and more light up as we sign them.
- Collecting now
- On the map
What a song earns
- PerformanceComposition · PROs
- MechanicalComposition · MROs
- Neighbouring rightsRecording · societies like SoundExchange
- Master recordingsPaid directly by DSPs everywhere a song streams — distribution, not a society
The map shades the society-collected layer — the part that differs by territory. Master recordings are paid worldwide through distribution, so they sit outside the map.
Distribution + collectionsMaster worldwide, societies in every territory
Notes reconcilesOne place, no percentage taken
Paid to youThe musician, in full
Collection Sources
- Albania ALBAUTOR
- Algeria ONDA
- Andorra SDADV
- Angola UNAC-SA
- Argentina SADAIC
- Armenia ARMAUTHOR
- Australia APRA AMCOS
- Austria AKM
- Azerbaijan AAS
- Barbados COSCAP
- Belarus NCIP
- Belgium SABAM
- Benin BUBEDRA
- Bolivia SOBODAYCOM
- Bosnia and Herzegovina AMUS
- Botswana COSBOTS
- Brazil ECAD
- Bulgaria MUSICAUTOR
- Burkina Faso BBDA
- Cabo Verde SCM
- Canada SOCAN
- Chile SCD
- China MCSC
- Colombia SAYCO
- Costa Rica ACAM
- Côte d'Ivoire BURIDA
- Croatia HDS
- Cuba ACDAM
- Czechia OSA
- Denmark KODA
- Dominican Republic SGACEDOM
- Ecuador SAYCE
- El Salvador SACIM
- Estonia EAÜ
- Finland TEOSTO
- France SACEM
- Germany GEMA
- Ghana GHAMRO
- Greece AUTODIA
- Guatemala AEI
- Guinea BGDA
- Honduras AACIMH
- Hong Kong CASH
- Hungary ARTISJUS
- Iceland STEF
- India IPRS
- Indonesia KCI, WAMI
- Ireland IMRO
- Israel ACUM
- Italy SIAE
- Jamaica JACAP
- Japan JASRAC
- Kazakhstan KazAK
- Kenya MCSK
- Kosovo VAPIC
- Latvia AKKA/LAA
- Lesotho LESCOSAA
- Lithuania LATGA
- Luxembourg SACEM Luxembourg
- Macau MACA
- Madagascar OMDA
- Malawi COSOMA
- Malaysia MACP
- Mali BUMDA
- Mauritius MASA
- Mexico SACM
- Moldova AsDAC
- Montenegro PAM CG
- Morocco BMDA
- Mozambique SOMAS
- Namibia NASCAM
- Nepal MRCSN
- Netherlands Buma/Stemra
- New Zealand APRA AMCOS
- Nigeria MCSN
- North Macedonia ZAMP Macedonia
- Norway TONO
- Panama SPAC
- Paraguay APA
- Peru APDAYC
- Philippines FILSCAP
- Poland ZAiKS
- Portugal SPA
- Republic of the Congo BCDA
- Romania UCMR-ADA
- Russia RAO
- Saint Lucia ECCO
- Senegal SODAV
- Serbia SOKOJ
- Singapore COMPASS
- Slovakia SOZA
- Slovenia SAZAS
- South Africa SAMRO
- South Korea KOMCA
- Spain SGAE
- Suriname SASUR
- Sweden STIM
- Switzerland SUISA
- Taiwan MÜST
- Tanzania COSOTA
- Thailand MCT
- Trinidad and Tobago COTT
- Türkiye MESAM
- Uganda UPRS
- Ukraine UACRR
- United Arab Emirates EMRA
- United Kingdom PRS for Music, PPL
- United States Collecting nowBMI, The MLC, SoundExchange, ASCAP, SESAC
- Uruguay AGADU
- Venezuela SACVEN
- Vietnam VCPMC
- Zimbabwe ZIMURA
Questions musicians ask
Common questions about SoundExchange
- Does my distributor register me with SoundExchange?
- Usually only as the sound-recording owner, not as the featured artist. The featured-artist share has to be claimed by registering directly with SoundExchange. Notes registers you for both shares so the full royalty is matched to you.
- Why are my SoundExchange royalties unclaimed?
- Most often because you aren't registered, or are registered for only one of the two shares (owner vs. featured artist). SoundExchange holds unclaimed royalties for performers who haven't registered. Notes registers your recordings so both shares are matched to you.
- Does SoundExchange cover international royalties?
- No. SoundExchange collects US digital-performance (neighboring-rights) royalties only. International neighboring rights are collected by each country's society. Notes handles registration across them so nothing is missed.
- Does Notes take a percentage?
- No. Notes is a simple $5/month subscription with no percentages and no hidden fees. The royalties SoundExchange collects on your behalf are paid to you in full.
- What royalty types does SoundExchange collect?
- SoundExchange collects Digital Performance royalties.
- What territories does SoundExchange cover?
- SoundExchange is available in United States.
- How often does SoundExchange pay royalties?
- SoundExchange distributes royalties quarterly.
- Where is SoundExchange based?
- SoundExchange is based in United States.
