Licensing & royalties
Performance Rights
Performance rights are the rights that control playing music in public — in a venue, on radio or television, or at a live event — and are usually administered by national collecting societies.
In practice
When a track is registered with a society, that society is entitled to collect from anyone who plays it publicly, regardless of what you paid the library. When a track is not registered anywhere, there is no mandate to collect and the owner licenses you directly. This is the practical reason unregistered catalogues exist.
Real questions
Which societies might invoice my business?
SIAE in Italy, GEMA in Germany, SACEM in France, SGAE in Spain, PRS in the UK, ASCAP and BMI in the US, and their equivalents elsewhere.
How do I prove that the music I play is not theirs?
With a named licence or ownership certificate identifying the tracks and the rights holder, plus a track list you can show on request.
Do performance rights apply to background music?
Yes. Volume and purpose do not matter; public availability does.
Royalty-free does not mean society-free
A royalty-free licence binds you and the library. It does not bind a collecting society that has a registration for the same work.
Related terms
Own the track instead of renting it
Sonify Music sells exclusive buyouts of catalogue tracks: one payment, full ownership, the track removed from sale and a named certificate of ownership.