Register as a Recording Rights Holder

If you own or control the copyright in sound recordings, you can register with Recorded Music NZ and authorise us to license your recordings to music users (on a non-exclusive basis) and collect distribute royalties to you.

This section sets out what it means to be a Rights Holder, how to register, what rights you grant to us and how to elect to become a shareholder of Recorded Music NZ should you wish.

If you own or control the copyright in sound recordings, you can register with Recorded Music NZ and authorise us to license your recordings to music users (on a non-exclusive basis) and collect distribute royalties to you. This section sets out what it means to be a Recording Rights Holder, how to register, what rights you grant to us and how to elect to become a shareholder of Recorded Music NZ should you wish.

What is a Rights Holder?

At Recorded Music NZ a Rights Holder is someone who owns or is the exclusive licensee for New Zealand of copyright in a sound recording and/or a music video.

• Copyright owners: In New Zealand, in the absence of any other agreement, the owner of copyright in a sound recording is the person who made the arrangements for the recording to be made. This person can be an independent recording artist, distributor or record label
• Exclusive licensees: You’re also a Recording Rights Holder if you have an exclusive licence agreement for New Zealand with the owner of copyright in a sound recording. An example of this would be a local record label/distributor releasing in New Zealand a recording owned by an overseas record label
• Other licensees: Certain non-exclusive licensees of copyright may be eligible to be Master Rights Holders and receive income from Recorded Music NZ

Pre-registration checklist:

To find out more about what’s involved in being a Registered Rights Holder, before submitting a pre‑registration application, please read the following materials:

• Understanding Your Rights and Obligations
• Understanding Music Copyright
• Recorded Music NZ Constitution

View the current Master Rights Agreement here

How do I register?

There is a 2-step process to register as a Rights Holder.

Step 1: Complete the application form

To begin the registration process, you must first complete our Rights Holder (Pre‑Registration) Application Form.

This allows us to:

• Assess your eligibility as a Rights Holder
• Gather key information required for registration

Step 2: Complete your formal registration

If your application is approved, we will contact you to complete the registration process, including entering into a Master Rights Agreement.

This agreement authorises Recorded Music NZ to license your recordings and collect and distribute royalties on your behalf.

Aotearoa Registered Artists Scheme

If you are a recording artist, you might also wish to register as an artist in the Aotearoa Registered Artists Scheme. Find out more and register here

Elect to become a shareholder in Recorded Music NZ

Recorded Music NZ is a limited liability company governed by a Board of Directors, with a company constitution and shareholders.

Once you’ve completed the registration process to become a Rights Holder and registered your repertoire, you can choose to become an independent shareholder. There is no financial benefit in becoming a shareholder. The main benefit of becoming a shareholder is that it allows you to vote for the Board positions of Artist Representative Director and Independent Director.

If you are interested in becoming an independent shareholder, please contact memberservices@recordedmusic.co.nz

Please note that if you elect to become an independent shareholder, Recorded Music NZ is obliged to publish your name and address on the Companies Office register.

You can read more about the structure and governance of Recorded Music NZ here