US recording artists will receive neighboring rights royalties from South Africa for the first time, following a reciprocal agreement between SoundExchange and the South African Music Performance Rights Association (SAMPRA).
The deal, announced on Monday (November 18), applies retroactively to the 2022 distribution period. The parties said the agreement ensures that performers from both countries will be compensated when their music is played in either country.
“The successful execution of the agreement is directly tied to SoundExchange’s advocacy around the world on behalf of the creators we represent.” Michael HoopPresident and CEO of SoundExchange.
“I’m delighted that our proposition of paying creators fairly for their work resonates so deeply with SAMPRA and leads to significant progress for American performers.”
The deal extends beyond featured artists to include studio musicians and backing vocalists AFM & SAG-AFTRA Intellectual Property Allocation Fund.
The deal with SAMPRA reflects SoundExchange’s existing U.S. royalty distribution model, which 45% Go to Featured Artist, 50% rights holder, and 5% Available to non-featured artists through this fund.
Sampra CEO kiss lord shiva “The conclusion of this reciprocal agreement demonstrates SAMPRA’s commitment to the proper management of South Africa’s neighboring rights.
“Through this agreement we now have reciprocal agreements with all major neighboring rights collecting societies around the world.”
South African organizations represent more than 75,000 recording artist and 11,000 Domestic record labels provide additional support for live events, music production, touring and education through their development funds.
Meanwhile, SoundExchange manages more than 470,000 creator through 65 international agreements covering 88% Global neighboring rights market.
Stephanie TaubCEO of the AFM and SAG-AFTRA Intellectual Property Allocation Fund said: “As the AFM and SAG-AFTRA Fund continues to expand its global collections on behalf of non-featured artists, we are pleased to join our newest partner SAMPRA, joining the many other international Organization to ensure that non-featured artists are fairly compensated for their contributions to the field of music.
Nearly two months ago, SoundExchange announced plans to launch a registry that would let rights holders declare whether they want developers to use their recordings to train artificial intelligence models. PRO plans to launch the registry in the first quarter of 2025.
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