Foreign Royalties

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AARC can represent you regarding your rights to hometaping royalties (and rental royalties if you are a featured artist) before foreign collectives and government entities.

Based upon AARC's successful administration of AHRA royalties, the board approved AARC's expansion of its services to include administration of foreign royalties. After several years of negotiations between the Center of Performers' Rights Administration for Geidankyo (CPRA/Geidankyo), AARC, the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), Japan became the first country with which AARC, AFM and AFTRA reached landmark royalty agreements for the benefit of their participant/member artists.

Japan is one of just a few countries that have a sound recording rental market. CPRA/Geidankyo collects rental fees based on the number of times a sound recording is rented. This rental data is provided to AARC so that it can distribute the rental royalties to its participants.

Japan 's obligation to pay royalties for the rental of United States sound recording stems from the Uruguay Round Agreement on TRIPS including Trade in Counterfeit Goods. Although TRIPS includes a provision that prohibits signatories from engaging in the rental of sound recordings, it makes an exception for Japan. Japan is permitted to continue renting sound recordings if it provides remuneration to performers and producers.

AARC and CPRA/Geidankyo also have a reciprocal hometaping agreement. Like the United States, Japan has a hometaping law that requires the manufacturers of digital home recording equipment and media to pay royalties to compensate, among others, artists for the displacement of sales caused by home recording. This agreement benefits artists on United States and Japanese sound recordings since it requires AARC to pay CPRA/Geidankyo the United States royalties earned by its participant artists and CPRA/Geidankyo to pay AARC the Japanese royalties earned by AARC’s participant artists.

AARC has a reciprocal hometaping agreement with Artistas Interpretes o Ejecutantes, Sociedad de Gestión de España (AIE) for Spanish hometaping royalties. This international agreement has resulted in increased royalties for artists on US sound recordings. Because it is a private copying agreement, it represents another major accomplishment for AARC in its efforts to ensure that artists are properly compensated for lost royalties due to private recording around the world.

Recently, AARC, AFM and AFTRA negotiated a reciprocal hometaping agreement with SENA for Dutch hometaping royalties. Based on this agreement, AARC will receive hometaping royalties collected in the Netherlands for featured artists on US sound recordings.

These landmark agreements represent major accomplishment for AARC in its efforts to ensure that the music industry is properly compensated for lost royalties due to private recording around the world. AARC is very proud to have found new royalty streams for artists and independent record companies. AARC will continue its efforts in seeking out additional royalty sources, and protecting its participants' rights worldwide.

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