FAQ Category: FAQs for Music Creators

Yes. IMRO needs details of both residencies and festival performances to ensure you receive the correct royalties for your live performances.

For residencies (e.g., regular gigs in a bar, hotel, or venue):

• Provide the start and end dates of your residency.
• Specify the day(s) of the week you perform.
• Include a set list of the works you perform.

For festival performances:

• Submit the festival name, date(s), and a set list for your performance.

Providing this information allows IMRO to track your performances accurately and process your royalty payments efficiently.

IMRO does not generally administer Grand Rights (such as for dramatico-musical works and ballets).

To receive royalties from a Grand Right performance, you must negotiate directly with the user of your copyright works — for example, a theatre company, production house, or event organiser.

If you have a publishing deal, your music publisher will normally handle these negotiations and royalty collections on your behalf.

A Grand Right generally refers to the performance of:

• Dramatico-musical works – for example, an opera, operetta, musical play, revue, or pantomime, where the words and music were written specifically for that production.
• Ballets – choreographic works with a story, plot, or abstract idea, created for interpretation through dance and/or mime. This does not include country or folk dancing, tap dancing, or precision dance sequences.

Grand Rights typically apply when these works are performed in their full dramatic form, such as in a staged production.

IMRO collects performance data from a variety of sources to ensure accurate royalty distribution.

Broadcasts

• Broadcasters licensed by IMRO provide programme logs of all music used.
• IMRO also monitors radio and TV output on a random sample basis to verify accuracy.

Online music platforms

• IMRO receives usage data from licensed online music providers (such as streaming services, digital radio, and on-demand platforms).
• This data includes detailed logs of music played, ensuring digital performances are tracked and royalties allocated properly.

Live performances

• For classical concerts, revenue is distributed based on actual concert programmes.
• For other genres, revenue is distributed based on set lists provided to IMRO.
• Tours and residencies use representative set lists where available.
• Members can submit set lists and tour/residency details quarterly for the previous three months.
• Remaining live performance royalties are allocated using independent venue surveys.

Recorded music in public places

Royalties for performances via recorded means (e.g., jukeboxes, background music, radio/TV in public spaces) are distributed using industry data such as record sales charts, streaming data and broadcast transmission details.

By combining direct reports, surveys, monitoring, and industry data, IMRO ensures royalties are distributed as fairly and accurately as possible.

To ensure you receive the correct royalties, IMRO needs you to provide:

• All programme returns for performances involving your works.
• Dates and venues of concerts and recitals where your music is performed, both in Ireland and internationally.

IMRO licenses and collects royalties for classical and contemporary performances, calculating payments for each separate event. The more detailed and accurate the information you provide—such as full programmes and performance details—the better IMRO can ensure you are properly credited and paid.

While this may feel like self-management, keeping your live performances well documented and submitting all required registration forms correctly is in your best interest.

You can submit all necessary information easily through the Members Only section of this website by clicking the Members Login link at the top of the page.

In addition to the gig information you provide about your own performances, IMRO also surveys venues across Ireland and monitors national press and major music publications to track live performances by established artists.

What you can do:

• Ask the performing artist to send their complete set list to IMRO.
• Alternatively, ask them to give the set list to you so you can pass it on to IMRO.
  • The set list should include all songs performed, not just your works.
• If obtaining the set list is difficult, provide IMRO with the contact details of the artist’s management or agent so we can follow up directly.

This information helps IMRO accurately track performances of your works and ensure you receive the royalties you are entitled to.

Registering a song with IMRO does not provide full copyright protection, but it does offer supporting evidence in the event of a copyright dispute. Copyright protection automatically exists as soon as an original piece of music is fixed in material form (e.g., a recording or manuscript).

IMRO registration helps establish ownership and usage history, which can strengthen your case if infringement occurs.

For more on how copyright works, see the FAQ: “How do I copyright a piece of music?”

Copyright duration varies from country to country, but in many places — including the European Union, the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia, and others — the general rule for literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works is:

70 years after the death of the author (often called life plus 70), regardless of when the work was first made available to the public.

Examples of variations:

USA: Generally life of the author + 70 years for works created after 1977, but different rules apply to works made for hire, anonymous works, or older works.

Canada, New Zealand, Japan: Life of the author + 70 years (recently updated in some countries; previously life + 50).

Some countries (such as many in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean) may still use life + 50 years unless updated by national law.

Always check the laws of the country where you want to enforce your rights, as copyright terms and rules for special cases (e.g., joint authorship, sound recordings, films) can differ.

Yes. Each year, IMRO sponsors a wide range of music-related initiatives, including:

• Song contests
• Music festivals
• Seminars and workshops
• Research projects
• Showcase performances

Through the IMRO Sponsorship Programme, we aim to foster and develop creativity across all music styles and genres, with a strong focus on supporting emerging talent.

If you have a project you would like considered for funding, please complete our online application form here:

🔗 Apply for IMRO Sponsorship

If a work appears on your royalty statement and you do not hold a songwriting or publishing interest in it, contact IMRO’s Distribution Department immediately to raise a query.

Quick action ensures any errors can be investigated and corrected promptly.

Email: distributions@imro.ie