Can Producers and Engineers Get Royalties?
By Written by Peter McVeigh
Producers and engineers don't automatically get royalties. What you can claim in the UK & Ireland and the USA, and what has to be agreed.
It's a reasonable question with an awkward answer: not automatically. A producer or engineer can have done a huge amount for a record and still not be owed any royalties by law. Most of what they receive comes from what they agree with the artist or label.
There are some exceptions. Here's a guide to where the money can come from.
Three possible routes
Route: What it is: How you get it
Contract royalty: Points or a percentage of income from the recording: Agreed in your contract
Performer royalties: Payments for performing on a recording: Register as a performer if you actually performed
Songwriter royalties: Payments for writing the song: Be credited and registered as a writer
Royalties in your contract
This is the main route. If you've agreed points or a percentage, the person who agreed to pay them owes you under the contract. If you don't have that in writing, you're relying on goodwill. Engineers commonly work for a fee only, though nothing stops an engineer asking for a royalty when it's reasonable.
In the UK: PPL
PPL collects for recordings played in public and on the radio, and pays the rights holder and performers. It's strict about who counts as a performer. Its performer roles guide lists engineers, mixers and producers as non-payable roles, as those roles don't involve a live performance.
There are two exceptions for producers:
If you audibly contributed, such as by playing guitar or singing, you claim for that role as a performer.
If you conducted or musically directed another performer's live performance as it was being recorded, you may qualify as an Eligible Studio Producer. Edits and remixes done after recording don't count unless they add new audible performances. Giving encouragement, or instructions before or after recording, doesn't count either.
If you're an engineer who also played a part, your claim is for playing that part. Make sure the performance is credited, so there's evidence for it.
In the USA: SoundExchange
US digital radio-style services pay for recordings through SoundExchange. Under the Allocation for Music Producers Act, part of the Music Modernization Act, producers, mixers and engineers can be paid from these royalties through a letter of direction.
SoundExchange says that it pays these participants only when a direct registrant, usually the artist or rights owner, submits a Letter of Direction. It tells SoundExchange to pass on a percentage of that person's royalties on specific recordings. And it isn't retroactive unless the letter says so.
So a producer's deal should say the artist will sign one, and it should say what percentage is agreed.
Ireland and elsewhere
Rules differ from one country to another. In Ireland, for example, performers and rights holders deal with their own collecting bodies, such as RAAP and PPI. If you're working internationally, check with the body concerned, and don't assume one country's rules apply elsewhere.
Songwriting royalties
If you wrote part of a song, you can receive songwriter royalties in the usual way, but that's because you're a writer, not because you're a producer. Our separate article explains where that line can fall.
A checklist
Have you agreed a royalty, in writing?
Did you audibly perform? If so, is it credited, and are you registered?
Did you conduct or musically direct a live recording? Check PPL's rules.
Is any US income expected? Ask for a Letter of Direction.
Did you write any of the song? Agree and register a split.
Are your credits correct? Keep them on a Credits and Metadata Sheet.
What to do next
Look at your last three projects and check which of these routes apply. If you've never registered as a performer but played on sessions, start there. For a deal in progress, read the royalty and letter of direction clauses in our practice Music Producer Contract.
Sources
https://www.ppluk.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/PPL-Performer-Roles-Guide.pdf
https://www.ppluk.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/ELIGIBLE-STUDIO-PRODUCER-FORM.pdf
https://www.soundexchange.com/faq/i-am-a-producer-mixer-or-engineer-for-several-big-artists-how-do-i-claim-royalties-for-these-recordings/
https://www.copyright.gov/music-modernization/amp/
Disclaimer
General information for independent musicians, not legal, tax or financial advice. Deals and rules vary, so check your own contract and take professional advice before relying on this.