How to Register with PPL as an Artist & Rights Holder
By Written by Peter McVeigh
A complete walkthrough of PPL registration for recording artists, session musicians, and record labels, including how to claim your recordings and collect neighbouring rights.
What is PPL?
PPL (formerly Phonographic Performance Limited) is a UK music licensing company that collects and distributes royalties on behalf of recording artists and record labels (also known as "master rights holders").
PPL is different from PRS. Here is a simple way to remember the difference:
PRS pays the songwriters (the people who wrote the song)
PPL pays the performers and record labels (the people who recorded the song)
When a song is played on the radio, for example, two sets of royalties are generated:
1. A PRS royalty paid to the songwriter/composer
2. A PPL royalty paid to the recording artist and their record label
If you're both the songwriter AND the recording artist (which is common for independent musicians), you should join both PRS and PPL.
Who Should Join PPL?
You should join PPL if you're:
A recording artist or performer who appears on commercial recordings
A session musician who has performed on recordings
A record label or rights holder who owns the master recording
You do NOT need a record deal or a major label behind you. Independent artists who release their own music on platforms like Spotify or via CD Baby, DistroKid, or Tunecore can and should join PPL to collect neighbouring rights royalties.
Step-by-Step: How to Register with PPL
Step 1: Visit the PPL website
Go to www.ppluk.com and click "Join PPL" in the navigation menu.
Step 2: Choose your membership type
Performer you perform/play/sing on recordings
Rights Holder you own the master recordings (record label, independent artist who self-releases)
Both (most independent artists should select both)
Step 3: Fill in the online registration form
You'll need:
Your full legal name / stage name
Date of birth
Email address and contact details
Bank account details for payments
Step 4: PPL membership is FREE
Unlike PRS, there is no joining fee for PPL. It's completely free to become a PPL member.
Step 5: Verify your account
PPL will send a verification email. Click the link to activate your account.
Step 6: Log in to the PPL portal
Access your member account at members.ppluk.com
Step 7: Claim your recordings
This is the critical step. See the next section.
How to Register Your Recordings with PPL
PPL pays royalties based on recordings (the actual sound files), not songs. You need to claim each recording you've appeared on or own.
As a Performer:
1. In the PPL portal, go to "Recordings"
2. Search for your recording by title, artist name, or ISRC code
3. If found, click "Claim" and submit your claim as a featured or non-featured performer
4. If not found, click "Add a New Recording" and enter the details manually
As a Rights Holder:
1. Go to "Repertoire" in the portal
2. Click "Add Recording"
3. Enter:
• Track title
• Artist name
• ISRC code (if you've one, highly recommended)
• Label name (your own name if self-releasing)
• Release date
• Performers on the recording
4. Submit and PPL will review and approve it
What is an ISRC code?
An International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) is a unique identifier for each recording. Most digital distribution services (CD Baby, Tunecore, DistroKid) will assign ISRCs to your recordings automatically. Always record these and use them when registering with PPL.
What Royalties Will PPL Collect for You?
PPL collects Neighbouring Rights royalties, which are generated whenever a recording is:
Broadcast on radio (BBC Radio 1, Radio 2, commercial stations, etc.)
Broadcast on TV
Played in public places shops, restaurants, gyms, hotels, nightclubs (via a PPL licence that the venue holds)
Streamed on certain digital platforms (though most streaming royalties go through the label's deal directly)
Royalties are distributed twice a year for most radio/broadcast income.
PPL Performer Royalty Split:
When a recording is played, PPL splits the royalty between:
Featured artists (e.g. the main recording artist) typically 65%
Non-featured performers (e.g. session musicians, backing vocalists) typically 35%
The exact split depends on the number of performers and their roles on the recording.
Walkthrough: Signing Up as a Performer
This walkthrough follows the MMR video series Why you should register your music with PRS, MCPS & PPL, which shows each screen. You sign up on myPPL (the PPL members' site). If you have already set up an ISRC code, you already have an account, and once you log in you can choose to register as a performer.
The membership registration asks for your name, any preferred name, email address, phone numbers, date of birth, country of birth, citizenship, address and residence history. You also give a UTR number if you have a self-employment account, or your National Insurance number.
Next comes the music and membership page. It asks whether you have recorded under an alias or artistic name, and whether you have recorded as a member of a band. It then asks for your main instruments and roles, so that people can add you to their sessions on those instruments, and for your most successful recordings, up to three, with the year of each. It also asks whether you are a Musicians' Union member and whether you want to give a third party access to your account.
Then you add your payment details, such as a UK bank account, and choose your international collection settings. This is where you say whether PPL should collect for you worldwide or only in certain countries. If you already have agreements with organisations in other countries, check that this does not clash with them. If PPL collects for you in the USA you will be asked to complete a US tax form. Finally you upload the generated form and verify your identity with documents such as a passport or driving licence. Once that is done you have a performer account.
The point of all this is that session musicians and band members are often paid a fee but never collect the performer royalty that is due when a recording is played on the radio, synced or played in public. Registering your instruments means producers and labels can credit you on the recordings you played on.
Walkthrough: Signing Up as a Rights Holder
A rights holder is the person or company that owns the recording. That might be a record label, but if you write, record and release your own music, it is you. If you are releasing your own music you need both accounts: a performer account for your playing and a rights holder account for owning the recordings. You then register the recordings themselves, not just the songs, and add the musicians who played on each one.
The rights holder form is similar to the performer one. You say what type of company you are (an individual sole trader, for example), give the recording rights holder name and trading name, business address, correspondence address and contact details, then your tax information, including a taxpayer identification number such as your UTR.
The next pages ask whether you have previously registered recordings with PPL, whether you have an ISRC code, and whether you have ever been a member of another collective management organisation. After that come your account details, optional third party access for a manager, and your bank details.
This section matters most, so read the terms and conditions carefully rather than copying what anyone else does. In the series, the rights are described as giving PPL the exclusive UK performance and broadcasting rights in your recordings so that it can license them and collect the royalties. PPL cannot collect without those rights. There are also optional appointments, for example UK media rights, UK programme distribution rights and international new media rights. You do not have to select these, but you should read each one and decide. If you do not own all the rights in a recording, or share them with other people, you can limit an appointment to the recordings and countries where you are able to give it.
Like the performer sign-up, international collection can lead to a US tax form, which you only need if you want PPL to collect there. At the end you upload the signed forms PPL generates and verify your identity, and in some cases your business, through a third party. After approval you can register your recordings and the musicians on them.
This is general information based on the video series, not legal or tax advice. PPL's forms and terms can change, so check the current wording on the PPL website before you sign anything.