The short answer
Neighbouring rights pay performers and recording owners when a recording is broadcast or played in public. Several North African countries have a national society that handles them; most Gulf countries usually do not yet have a working one. An artist can still collect abroad by joining a society in a country that admits non-residents.
What neighbouring rights are
Copyright in a song belongs to its writers. Neighbouring rights sit beside it and belong to the people who made the recording: the performers who played and sang, and the producer, meaning the owner of the master. When the recording is played on radio or television, in shops, restaurants or venues, or on certain online radio services, many countries require a fee, collected by a society and divided between performers and owners.
This is separate from streaming. On-demand services usually license recordings directly through your distributor, so that income arrives in your statement. Neighbouring rights income arrives only through a society, and only if you are registered with one. This varies by country; some countries pay performers nothing for broadcast at all.
The international framework
Two treaties organise most of this: the Rome Convention and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty, both administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization. Countries that join give foreign performers and producers the same treatment as their own, usually on condition of reciprocity. Societies then sign agreements with each other and exchange money for members.
The United States is a special case: it pays recording owners and performers only for digital broadcasts such as satellite and internet radio, through a single designated collective, and usually nothing for ordinary radio. Many Arab countries have joined one or both treaties, but membership and enforcement vary, and a treaty on paper does not guarantee a society that collects.
What exists in Arab countries today
North Africa has the longest-established structures. Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria each have a national office, created or reformed by law, that administers both authors' rights and neighbouring rights and collects from broadcasters and venues with varying effectiveness. Egypt has a long-standing authors' society, while collection for performers and producers is usually more limited.
In the Gulf the picture is newer. Saudi Arabia's intellectual property authority has issued rules for licensing collective management organisations and begun licensing them; the United Arab Emirates licensed its first music collective management organisation after its recent copyright law. Both are early-stage. Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman usually have no functioning society for performers or recording owners as of 2026, though laws recognising the rights exist. Lebanon and Jordan usually rely on foreign societies or have no active performer collection.
How collection works without a home society
You do not need a society in your own country to be paid abroad. Several large societies in Europe and North America admit performers and recording owners from any country, as long as the recordings qualify under their rules. Qualification often depends on where the recording was made or first released and on treaty membership, so it varies by country.
Once you are a member, the society collects for your recordings at home and, through its agreements, from partner societies elsewhere, then pays you after its deductions. You register each recording with its ISRC, title, performers and roles, country of recording and first release date. A featured artist usually receives more than a session musician, and the recording owner a separate share.
- Performer registration: everyone who played or sang on the recording.
- Rights holder registration: the owner of the master, which is you if you self-release.
- Per-recording data: ISRC, line-up, roles, recording country and first release date.
What an artist can do today
First, make sure every recording has a correct ISRC and that performer credits in your distributor's form are complete and consistently spelled; societies match on this data. Second, register as a performer, and as a rights holder if you own your masters, with a society that accepts non-residents, and submit your catalogue. Third, keep evidence of airplay and public use, such as broadcaster playlists, to support claims.
Fourth, ask your distributor whether it passes full performer line-ups to stores and whether it offers neighbouring rights administration; some distributors and specialist administrators register and collect for a share, which can be worthwhile if you tour or get airplay abroad. Finally, watch your home regulator: when a society opens in your country, early registration usually matters.
Questions people ask
Do streaming services pay neighbouring rights?
Usually not through societies. On-demand streaming is licensed directly and paid through your distributor. In a few countries societies also collect a share of streaming income, but this varies by country.
I live in Kuwait. Can I still be paid for radio play in Europe?
Usually yes, if you join a society there that admits non-residents and your recordings qualify under its rules. Registration releases the money; without it, the money is usually held or redistributed.
Does my distributor collect neighbouring rights automatically?
Usually no. Distribution covers stores. Neighbouring rights need a separate registration with a society, by you or by an administrator you appoint. Ask your distributor what it does and does not cover.