Philippine radio, TV and shop music owes one royalty per recording, split 50/50 between the label and the performers, and PRM pays only those registered to the track.
That payment is the single equitable remuneration, or SER, under Section 209 of the Intellectual Property Code. CMO means collective management organisation, the body that collects it. Philippines Recorded Music Rights (PRM) is a CMO accredited by IPOPHL, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, to collect it for producers and performers, its FAQ says.
What the law fixes
IPOPHL Memorandum Circular No. 023 of 2023, issued on 8 September 2023, sets the rules. Ma. Ysabel Laura G. Miranda summarised them for Cruz Marcelo:
- SER is owed per use of a recording that is broadcast or publicly performed.
- Absent an agreement, the performers and the producer share it equally.
- It can be paid to an accredited CMO authorised in writing, to the exclusion of others.
- A user cannot withhold it unless the claimant is patently not entitled. A foreign society proves entitlement with its membership list and a reciprocal agreement with a local accredited CMO.
- Recordings made before 1 January 1978 fall outside the rules.
What PRM decides
The performer half is divided by PRM. Its FAQ gives two-thirds to featured artists and one-third to non-featured performers such as session musicians. On PHP 1,000 of distributable money, that is PHP 500 to the label, about PHP 333 to the featured act and PHP 167 to the session players.
PRM’s distribution policy, dated 17 November 2020, covers thin paperwork. A performer PRM lacks satisfactory information on is classified, provisionally, as non-featured. That policy also sets the featured share at 65 percent, not two-thirds, so ask which figure your statement applies.
The same document sets the rest:
- Producer money goes to whoever is registered as rightsholder for that recording and that period on PRM’s database.
- ISRC, the International Standard Recording Code, is the matching key. Packaging and airplay data are not proof of ownership.
- Claims made by aggregators and distribution companies face proof-of-ownership checks.
- Late or missing registration “may entail delays in, or no payment.”
- Unclaimed money is held for three years, then shared pro rata among rightsholders who were paid.
- Reproduction licence fees go entirely to producers.
- Radio money is allocated station by station, by seconds of airplay.
A young society, with young-society costs
PRM’s audited statements for 2023 show licence revenue of PHP 11.16 million, up from PHP 1.81 million in 2022, against administrative expenses of PHP 7.80 million. Its policy says operating costs should not exceed 25 percent of annual revenue without approval from the board and members.
The first payout came on 19 July 2024 and covered collections from 2021 and 2022. The policy sets distribution no later than six months after the end of the financial year of collection. In May 2026 PRM said it had used ACRCloud’s fingerprinting data in its latest distribution cycle.
Mandates can collide. IPOPHL’s October 2021 advisory, the most recent list we found, named five accredited CMOs, including PRM and a separate Performers Rights Society of the Philippines. Because SER goes to one authorised CMO to the exclusion of others, a performer who signs with both creates a conflict.
What to do before the next distribution
Labels
- Register every master with PRM by ISRC, with ownership dates. Delivering to Spotify does not file this for you.
- Foreign labels: claim through your home society’s reciprocal agreement with PRM, the proof of entitlement the rules name.
- Read the deduction line on every statement against the 25 percent ceiling.
Performers
- Register, and get classified as featured on your own releases. Otherwise you default to the session share.
- Session players: get your name onto each track’s line-up. The one-third only reaches performers PRM can see.
Songwriters run on a separate pipe. FILSCAP licenses a Cebu shop for the composition, and the Spotify subscription money reaches the master through the distributor. In Brazil, an ISRC from a distributor its society has not approved collects none of the radio money.
The split is set by law. Whether your name is on the track is set by the metadata you deliver.
