PlayRight has just distributed 83,763.83 euros in of rights to musicians affiliated and members of sister societies. These rights come from the annual supplementary remuneration for music recordings published between 1963-1970and which still generated revenues for the record labels between 2019 and 2021. This was the final distribution for the reference years. 

Furthermore, the final distribution for music rights for 2021 has also been implemented. You can read more about this here. 

As an artist (or representative of an artist), you now have six months to inform us of doubts and questions and to file objections or complaints about this distribution. 

What is the annual supplementary remuneration? 

The annual supplementary remuneration was introduced in 2011 after Europe had decided to extend the term of protection for music recordings from 50 to 70 years. This means that record labels enjoy an extra protection of 20 years and musicians who can count on a royalty fee can enjoy revenues for 20 more years. (Session) musicians who have handed over their rights to the record label or have been bought out with a one-off payment by their producers, were, however, excluded. 

In order to not to exclude any musician, the European legislator decided in 2011 that the record labels, after the expiry of the 50-year term, must still share their revenues with the musicians whom they do not pay royalties. They should do this by yearly transferring 20% of the revenues coming from their recordings to the collecting societies that represent these musicians. PlayRight obtained an official mandate to collect and distribute this remuneration in Belgium. 

This annual supplementary remuneration is valid for all tracks that have been recorded since 1963. If you, as a session musician, have contributed to a recording during the period 1963-1970, is now entitled to receive a part of the revenues generated by this exploitation. 

This specific distribution concerns the period 2019-2021. 

First/final distribution: how does it work? 

PlayRight always carries out the distribution of your rights as a musician in two stages. For the annual supplementary remuneration of music rights 2019-2021, we already made the first distribution in 2022. 

The deadline for declaring repertoires that could generate rights for the 2014-2018 reference year was 31 December 2024. 

This final distribution completes the payment of neighbouring rights for musicians for this reference year. Thus, the total amount of Belgian music rights 2019-2021 paid out to musicians now comes to 87.466,98 euros. 

The amount? 

The annual supplementary remuneration for music recordings that still generated rights in 2019-2021 amounts to 70.455,35 euros. This distribution is based on the declared repertoires as registered in our database. 

TIP: Via your PlayRight portal, you can find more details on the amount paid out in the ‘Rights’ menu regarding: 

• Recordings that generated rights in the reference years 2019-2021 on Belgian territory, 

• The casting at the moment of the calculation. 

PlayRight charges operational costs before the calculation of the rights allocated to you, as well as
deductions related to the sociocultural actions of PlayRight.

Do you notice any mistakes in the calculation of your rights and/or in the cast of your recordings? Or do you have questions about this distribution? Please do not hesitate to contact your Account Manager or send an e-mail to members@playright.be.  

The next distribution concerns the distribution of audiovisual rights for 2020-2021 and is also a final distribution. This distribution will take place in June 2025.