Phonographic Performance Ireland (PPI)

Phonographic Performance Ireland (PPI) is a non-profit neighboring rights organization based in Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, that collects and distributes license fees for the broadcasting, cable transmission, dubbing, and public performance of sound recordings in Ireland. It represents record companies and other owners of copyright in sound recordings and music videos, and also makes payments to performers. It is best suited for Irish record labels and self-releasing artists who want to collect equitable remuneration when their recordings are played on Irish radio, television, or in public venues.

How PPI Works

PPI is not a performing rights organization (PRO) in the traditional sense. PROs like IMRO represent songwriters and composers. PPI represents the owners of sound recordings (record labels and self-releasing artists) and pays performers their share of equitable remuneration. The two organizations work together: PPI uses IMRO as its agent for public performance collections, meaning IMRO's licensing team handles the ground-level work of licensing businesses that play recorded music.

PPI issues licenses to radio stations, television broadcasters, cable operators, pubs, restaurants, shops, gyms, and any business that plays recorded music publicly in Ireland. The collected fees are split between record companies (PPI members) and performers. In 2024, PPI collected EUR 13.87 million in total turnover, up from EUR 12.90 million in 2023. Of that, EUR 2.96 million was distributable to performers and EUR 7.93 million was available for distribution to member companies before taxation.

The revenue breakdown for 2024 shows where the money comes from. Public performance fees generated EUR 6.60 million. Broadcasting fees brought in EUR 5.65 million. Broadcasting dubbing fees added EUR 1.01 million. Dubbing fees contributed EUR 443,146. Cable fees accounted for EUR 168,901. The cost of collection and distribution was EUR 2.56 million in 2024, up from EUR 2.24 million in 2023.

PPI's board meets every two months to approve new members. To join, an applicant must own the copyright in at least one commercially released sound recording or music video. The members list was most recently updated in November 2025 and includes hundreds of Irish and international record labels, from major groups like Warner Music Ireland and Universal Music Operations to independent labels and self-releasing artists.

PPI is currently in a legal dispute with RAAP (Recorded Artists Actors Performers) over the definition of qualifying performers under Irish copyright law. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that Irish law should not have qualifying provisions that excluded certain non-Irish and non-EU performers from receiving equitable remuneration. PPI has asked the Irish government to change the law accordingly. Until legislation is passed, the split of distributable revenue between performers and members remains uncertain.

Real-World Example

An Irish independent label releases an album by a folk artist. The album gets regular airplay on RTÉ Radio 1 and several regional Irish radio stations. A Dublin pub plays the album through a licensed background music service. A cable operator includes the album tracks in its digital music channels.

PPI collects license fees from all three sources. The label, as a PPI member, receives a distribution based on the usage data reported by broadcasters and public performance venues. The performer (the folk artist) receives their share of equitable remuneration, which PPI pays on behalf of its members. In 2024, PPI paid EUR 4.57 million to member companies whose interests were represented by its directors, calculated on the same basis as payments to all other member companies.

If the same album is played on radio in the United Kingdom, PPI's reciprocal agreement with PPL means PPL collects those royalties and remits them to PPI for distribution to the Irish label. Conversely, if a UK label's recordings are played in Ireland, PPI collects those royalties and remits them to PPL.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

If you are an Irish record label or a self-releasing artist whose recordings are played on Irish radio, television, or in public venues, PPI collects royalties you would otherwise never receive. Unlike IMRO (which pays songwriters), PPI pays the owners of the sound recording and the performers on those recordings.

Register your commercially released recordings with PPI as soon as they are available for broadcast or public performance. You must own the copyright in the sound recording to become a member. Submit track registrations with correct ISRC codes, rights share percentages, and territory information so PPI can match your recordings to usage data.

If you are both the songwriter and the recording artist, you need both IMRO (for your composition rights) and PPI (for your sound recording rights). These are separate revenue streams. Many independent artists miss out on PPI royalties because they assume joining IMRO covers everything.

The ongoing RAAP dispute means the performer share of distributions may change if Irish law is reformed. Monitor PPI's communications for updates on how the revenue split between performers and record companies may be affected.

Related Resources

• Performing Rights Organizations (PRO) - What a PRO is and how it differs from a neighboring rights organization
• Performance Royalties - How performance royalties are generated and collected
• Neighboring Rights - How neighboring rights work for performers and recording owners
• Collective Management Organization (CMO) - How CMOs operate globally
• PPI Official Website - Visit PPI for membership and licensing information
• Use our Streaming Royalty Calculator to estimate your digital earnings