In the United States, do sound recordings receive broad domestic neighboring rights, and how are royalties typically collected?

In the United States, do sound recordings receive broad domestic neighboring rights, and how are royalties typically collected?

• A. Yes, neighbouring rights exist only for live performances; collected by BMI.
• B. US does not grant broad domestic neighbouring rights; royalties collected by SoundExchange and paid to master owners and featured artists.
• C. No, and there are no royalties for digital performances.
• D. Yes, broad neighbouring rights exist; royalties are collected by ASCAP.

Answer: (B)

In the United States, sound recordings do not receive broad domestic neighboring rights. The U.S. regime provides only a limited digital performance right for sound recordings, created and administered separately from the traditional neighbor rights found in many other countries. That digital-rights framework is handled by SoundExchange, which collects royalties from digital service providers (like streaming platforms and digital radio) and distributes them to the owners of the recording (the master rights holder, usually a label) and to the performing artists who are featured on the recording. This separation is why a PRO like ASCAP or BMI isn’t responsible for these royalties—they handle performance rights for the underlying musical compositions, not the actual sound recordings.

In the United States, sound recordings do not receive broad domestic neighboring rights. The U.S. regime provides only a limited digital performance right for sound recordings, created and administered separately from the traditional neighbor rights found in many other countries. That digital-rights framework is handled by SoundExchange, which collects royalties from digital service providers (like streaming platforms and digital radio) and distributes them to the owners of the recording (the master rights holder, usually a label) and to the performing artists who are featured on the recording. This separation is why a PRO like ASCAP or BMI isn’t responsible for these royalties—they handle performance rights for the underlying musical compositions, not the actual sound recordings.