Irish Music Rights Organisation

IMRO (Irish Music Rights Organisation) is Ireland's performing rights organization, representing over 30,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers across more than 180 countries. Founded in 1988, IMRO collects and distributes performance royalties when its members' musical works are broadcast on radio or television, streamed online, performed live, or played in public venues. In 2025, IMRO collected a record EUR 57.1 million in revenue, an 8% increase from 2024, and distributed EUR 48.4 million to music creators.

IMRO at a Glance

How IMRO Compares to Other PROs

How IMRO Works

IMRO issues blanket licenses to businesses that play music publicly, including radio stations, television networks, streaming platforms, concert venues, pubs, restaurants, retail stores, and gyms. These licenses give businesses the right to perform any work in IMRO's catalog. Collected fees are distributed to members based on detailed usage data from broadcast logs, TV cue sheets, streaming reports, and live performance setlists.

IMRO distributes royalties across multiple categories. Broadcast royalties come from national and regional television and radio stations. Live royalties come from invoiced events, tours, residencies, and the Live Music Survey program. Background music royalties come from venues playing recorded music. Digital royalties come from music downloads, ringtones, music streaming, and video streaming. Overseas royalties flow back through reciprocal agreements with international societies.

In 2025, IMRO launched a new self-licensing platform for businesses, allowing venues to purchase music licenses online without manual processing. The organization is also developing a next-generation members' portal that will give creators enhanced visibility into where and how their music is being used globally.

Membership is free for songwriters, composers, and publishers. Members can register online and immediately begin submitting works. IMRO distributes royalties on a regular schedule, with domestic payments typically processed faster than international royalties, which depend on the reporting cycles of foreign societies.

IMRO also administers sponsorship and funding programs for music creators, providing grants and resources to support career development. The organization advocates for creators' rights in AI policy discussions and copyright reform at national and European levels.

Real-World Example

A songwriter based in Dublin joins IMRO for free and registers 20 compositions. One of those songs receives regular airplay on RTÉ 2fm, accumulating 300 plays in a quarter. The same song is also streamed 100,000 times on Spotify in Ireland and performed at 5 live gigs during the summer.

IMRO collects royalties from all three sources. The radio station pays IMRO under its blanket license. Spotify reports streaming usage to IMRO, which generates digital royalties. The live venues submit setlist data or are surveyed through IMRO's Live Music Survey program. The songwriter receives a distribution combining all three revenue streams.

If the same song is played on BBC Radio 1 in the United Kingdom, IMRO's reciprocal agreement with PRS for Music means PRS collects those royalties and remits them to IMRO. The songwriter receives the international payment in a subsequent distribution cycle, typically with a 12 to 18 month delay.

With IMRO's 2025 collection of EUR 57.1 million and distribution of EUR 48.4 million, the organization's administrative cost ratio is approximately 15.2%. This means roughly 85 cents of every euro collected goes to music creators.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

If you are a songwriter, composer, or publisher based in Ireland, IMRO membership is the only way to collect performance royalties for the public use of your musical works. Membership is free, which removes any upfront cost barrier.

Register every composition with IMRO as soon as it is commercially released. Include accurate metadata: title, writers, publishers, ISWC numbers, and ownership splits. IMRO processes billions of performances annually, so precise metadata directly impacts how quickly and completely you get paid. Unregistered works earn zero royalties regardless of how often they are performed.

Ireland has a strong live music culture, and live performance royalties are a significant income source for Irish artists. Submit setlists for your own concerts through IMRO's live performance reporting system. If you tour internationally, IMRO's reciprocal agreements with over 180 countries ensure those royalties flow back to you.

IMRO also offers sponsorship and funding programs specifically for music creators. Check the IMRO website for current grant opportunities, which can fund recording, touring, and professional development.

You can only belong to one PRO at a time for the same catalog of works. If you are based in Ireland, IMRO is your primary option. If you later relocate to another country, you can transfer your membership, but you cannot hold dual PRO membership for the same works.

Territory Covered

IMRO collects royalties directly in Ireland. It administers performing rights for public performance, broadcast, streaming, and live events within Irish territory. For uses outside Ireland, IMRO relies on reciprocal agreements with sister societies in over 180 countries. IMRO applies a 2% administration fee on overseas public performance royalties (and 0% for the UK), which is lower than the 4% to 8% charged by many other PROs.

How to Join IMRO

1. Check eligibility: You must be a songwriter, composer, lyricist, arranger of public domain music, or music publisher with original music ready for public performance.
2. Complete the membership application: Fill out the online application and agreement on the IMRO website.
3. Submit required documentation: Provide proof of identity and details of your musical works.
4. Start registering works: Once approved, you can immediately begin submitting compositions through the IMRO members portal.

There is no admission fee and no annual fee. Membership is free for both writers and publishers.

Membership Fees

IMRO charges no fees for membership. There is no admission fee and no annual fee for either writers or publishers. This removes any upfront cost barrier compared to PROs like GEMA (EUR 107.10 admission) or PRS (GBP 100 admission).

Overhead Rate

IMRO's administrative cost ratio is approximately 15.2% based on 2025 figures (EUR 57.1 million collected, EUR 48.4 million distributed). This means roughly 85 cents of every euro collected goes to music creators. For overseas royalties, IMRO applies only a 2% administration fee (0% for UK collections), which is significantly lower than the 4% to 8% charged by many other PROs.

Royalty Distribution Schedule

IMRO operates one of the most frequent distribution schedules among PROs worldwide:

All royalties received from an overseas sister society before the 20th of a given month are forwarded to members by the 15th of the following month. A minimum payment threshold of EUR 10 applies. Royalties below this amount accumulate until the threshold is reached.

Reciprocal Agreements with Foreign Societies

IMRO has reciprocal agreements with collecting societies in over 180 countries. Major partners include:

• UK: PRS for Music (0% admin fee on UK collections)
• USA: ASCAP, BMI, SESAC
• Germany: GEMA
• France: SACEM
• Netherlands: BUMA/STEMRA
• Japan: JASRAC
• South Korea: KOMCA
• Australia: APRA AMCOS
• Canada: SOCAN
• Italy: SIAE
• Spain: SGAE
• Sweden: STIM
• Switzerland: SUISA
• Austria: AKM
• Belgium: SABAM
• Denmark: KODA
• Finland: TEOSTO
• Norway: TONO

Notable Members

• Eleanor McEvoy: Songwriter of "A Woman's Heart," the title track of Ireland's best-selling album of all time. Chairperson of the IMRO Songwriters and Composers committee. Her work has been covered by Emmylou Harris and featured in Channel 4's Derry Girls.
• Mick Hanly: Folk singer and songwriter who wrote "Past the Point of Rescue," which earned two BMI awards (2 million radio plays and Most Played Country Song in the US in 1992). Former lead singer of Moving Hearts.
• Tom Dunne: Lead singer and co-songwriter of Irish band Something Happens (two number one Irish albums on Virgin Records). Radio presenter on TodayFM and Newstalk.
• Faye O'Rourke: Singer, songwriter, composer, and producer. Front-woman of Little Green Cars (gold-certified debut in 2013) and Soda Blonde. Composer for screen including the score for Mark O'Halloran's adaptation of James Joyce's "An Encounter" (2022).
• Ray Harman: Songwriter and composer. Member of the IMRO Songwriters and Composers committee.
• Bill Shanley: Songwriter and guitarist. Member of the IMRO Songwriters and Composers committee.

Official IMRO Video

IMRO hosts seminar series for music creators covering the business side of music. This session features music producers discussing their work and the industry.

Related Resources

• Performing Rights Organizations (PRO) - What a PRO is and how it functions
• Performance Royalties - How performance royalties are generated and collected
• Mechanical Royalties - How mechanical royalties differ from performance royalties
• Blanket License - The licensing model used by IMRO and other PROs
• IMRO Official Website - Visit IMRO for membership and licensing information
• Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to estimate your digital performance earnings

Compare IMRO with Other PROs

• GEMA - Germany's collecting society (EUR 1.34 billion collected in 2025)
• PRS for Music - UK's performing rights organization (0% admin fee on UK royalties via IMRO)
• ASCAP - One of the largest US PROs
• BMI - US PRO with free membership for writers
• SACEM - France's collecting society (9.8% overhead rate)
• SIAE - Italy's collecting society
• BUMA/STEMRA - Netherlands' collecting societies
• AKM - Austria's performing rights society
• STIM - Sweden's performing rights society
• SUISA - Switzerland's collecting society
• KODA - Denmark's performing rights society
• TEOSTO - Finland's performing rights society
• JASRAC - Japan's performing rights society
• SOCAN - Canada's performing rights organization
• APRA AMCOS - Australia and New Zealand's rights organization