ACINPRO (Asociación Colombiana de Intérpretes y Productores Fonográficos)

ACINPRO (Asociación Colombiana de Intérpretes y Productores Fonográficos) is a Colombian collective management organization that protects and administers the neighboring rights of performers and phonogram producers. Founded in 1982 in Medellín, it is the only organization recognized by Colombia's National Copyright Office (Dirección Nacional de Derecho de Autor) to collect royalties for artists, performers, and record producers whose recorded music is played publicly.

How ACINPRO Works

ACINPRO operates differently from traditional PROs like ASCAP or BMI. Instead of representing songwriters and composers (which is handled by SAYCO in Colombia), ACINPRO represents the performers who appear on recordings and the producers who finance those recordings. These are called neighboring rights or related rights.

When a business in Colombia plays recorded music publicly (restaurants, bars, retail stores, radio stations, television), two separate royalties are generated: one for the composition (collected by SAYCO) and one for the recording itself (collected by ACINPRO). ACINPRO issues blanket licenses to establishments and collects fees that are then distributed to its members based on usage data.

The organization also serves as Colombia's local ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) agency since 2022, assigning unique identifiers to sound recordings. Through the Sayco Acinpro Organization (OSA), both societies coordinate joint licensing for businesses that need both composition and recording rights.

Real-World Example

A restaurant in Bogotá plays a curated playlist of 200 Colombian songs throughout the day. Each time a song plays, two royalties are triggered: one for the songwriter (collected by SAYCO) and one for the performer and record producer (collected by ACINPRO). The restaurant purchases a joint license through OSA that covers both rights.

If a Colombian singer performs on 50 recordings that receive regular airplay on national radio, ACINPRO tracks those performances and distributes royalties accordingly. A phonogram producer who funded 30 albums receives a separate share based on the usage of those specific recordings. The distribution formula accounts for both the frequency of use and the type of public communication (radio, television, background music, streaming).

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

If you are a performer or record producer based in Colombia, ACINPRO membership is the only way to collect neighboring rights royalties for public performances of your recordings. Without ACINPRO, you have no mechanism to receive payment when your recordings are played on Colombian radio, television, or in public venues.

For independent artists who self-produce their recordings, you qualify as both the performer and the phonogram producer. This means you are entitled to both shares of the neighboring rights royalty. Register your recordings with ACINPRO and ensure your ISRC codes are properly assigned so your works can be tracked.

If you distribute music internationally, ACINPRO has reciprocal agreements with neighboring rights societies in other countries. This means your recordings can generate royalties when played abroad, and foreign recordings played in Colombia generate royalties that ACINPRO collects on behalf of international performers.

Related Resources

• Neighboring Rights - What neighboring rights are and how they differ from composition royalties
• Neighboring Rights Society - How collective management of related rights works
• Performing Rights Organizations (PRO) - How traditional PROs function compared to neighboring rights societies
• ISRC - The recording identifier that ACINPRO administers in Colombia
• Collective Management Organization (CMO) - How CMOs operate globally
• ACINPRO Official Website - Visit ACINPRO to learn about membership and licensing
• Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to estimate your digital earnings