Following 12-Year Freeze, ANZ Performers Qualify For UK Neighbouring Rights Royalties

Recording artists in Australia and New Zealand are now entitled to royalties each time their tunes are played in the UK, thanks to a shift in the international public performance framework.

For 12 years, the rights of performers to ongoing royalties, or so-called neighbouring rights, have been suspended due to the absence of a reciprocal deal.

While that deadlock hasn’t lifted, the dial has moved with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a major trade agreement for which Australia and NZ are members. 

On Dec. 15th, 2024, the UK officially became a member of the CPTPP, a free trade agreement  that sets clear standards around copyright, and ensures equitable remuneration for performers when their music is played publicly across borders.

And with the UK’s entry, the promise of royalties flowing in multiple directions.

Now, performers in these parts will be entitled to receive payments when their recordings are used on UK radio, TV, and in public spaces.

“The tap has finally been turned back on for Australian performers after more than a decade in the cold,” explains Good Neighbour Rights managing director Susan Cotchin, Australia’s foremost expert in neighbouring rights.

From December 2024, notes Cotchin, whose clients include Amyl and the Sniffers and Crowded House, any ANZ musician who has performed on a recording that’s receiving airplay in the UK will now be “rightfully paid royalties”.

For New Zealand and Singaporean performers, this breakthrough marks the first time they’ve been recognised for royalties in the UK.

“This isn’t just about recognition,” says Cotchin, “it’s about survival. For many, this means they can finally pay their rent, put food on the table, and earn a decent living doing what they love: making music.”

The royalties are effective from Dec. 15, 2024, provided those recordings were played publicly or broadcast in the UK on or after that date.

Payments will commence from December 2025. 

Prior to 2014, the UK paid into Australia, a signatory to the Rome Convention (1961) which protects sound recordings (notably the United States did not sign the Rome Convention). In 2014, however, the U.K. decided as Australia does not and has never paid UK performers, they would no longer play that game.

No reciprocal agreement, no royalties. Royalty payments were suspended in 2013.

The trade breakthrough follows the landmark 2020 RAAP v PPI case, which called for the equal treatment of all performers and pushed for stronger cross-border protections.

The fight for transparent, fair, and inclusive royalty systems isn’t over, reports Good Neighbour. Australia continues to limit royalty payments to featured performers who are citizens/residents of Australia, under international law (WPPT Article 15[3]), meaning non-featured artists like session musicians aren’t currently eligible, a situation that’s reflected in copyright law.