In order to collect your neighbouring rights, you have to become a member of PlayRight (or a collective management company abroad in charge of collecting your rights ).

PlayRight membership is free. You just need to answer to the following two requirements:

• Am I a “performing artist”?
• Is my artistic performance recorded?

The definition of “recording” is a fairly broad one. We talk about a recording once a performance is recorded by whatever means because its recording allows it to be copied and broadcast at a later stage.

Acoustic sessions during a radio programme for instance are usually recorded to ensure that the live version can be played again afterwards.

Good to know: 

• Both adult and underage artists can join. Minors do have to list the name of their parent or guardian and the account number has to be in the name of the minor artist and has to be blocked until his/her majority (in accordance with Belgian law, here in French and here in Dutch)
• At the time of joining, artists are also free to appoint a representative who ensures that their performances are declared or who will manage their file.
• You can also play an active part in the decision-making process within PlayRight by becoming a PlayRight Shareholder.

Join as an heir?

Also heirs of artists can join PlayRight even if the artist in question was never affiliated to PlayRight. If he/she was a member of PlayRight however, you simply take over the deceased’s type of membership (ordinary member or shareholder).

Membership as an heir allows you to:

• Collect the royalties generated by the repertoire of the deceased artist,
• Add recordings to the deceased’s repertoire that were never declared

If the deceased was a shareholder of PlayRight and left several heirs, the latter must appoint an authorised representative who can represent all the heirs collectively.

To join as an heir, all you need to do is to enclose a copy of the artist’s death certificate and of the notarial deed that lists you as heir with your membership form.