AllTrack Launches Neighboring Rights Division With the Acquisition of Number13

AllTrack has taken the next big step in realizing its vision of creating a modernized all-in-one collective management organization (CMO) to serve artists, producers, labels, songwriters, and publishers. The company is announcing the acquisition of the neighboring rights assets of Number13, the music licensing and rights management firm founded by seasoned music rights executive Wade Metzler (ex-SoundExchange). As part of the agreement, Metzler has joined AllTrack to lead its newly launched neighboring rights division. AllTrack’s neighboring rights services are live and immediately available to artists and labels.

This makes AllTrack the only US-based PRO to administer and collect neighboring rights royalties on behalf of its members. Prior to this transaction, AllTrack members were already able to collect performance and mechanical royalties through a single platform. Now, it’s easier than ever for AllTrack members to manage their composition and sound recording catalogs in one place and ensure they are receiving every penny they are owed for the use of their copyrights. AllTrack’s comprehensive suite of royalty collection services is intuitive enough for self-managed creators, yet robust enough to support both small and established labels and publishers.

Including the acquisition of Number13’s neighboring rights assets and other recent signings, AllTrack now represents neighboring rights in recordings performed by American Authors, Bad English, Billy Joe Armstrong, Bleachers, Bruce Springsteen, Counting Crows, Dinosaur Jr, Eddie Money, Elvis Costello, Face to Face, Future, Jesse Malin, Lucinda Williams, NOFX, Rancid, Spoon, Steven Van Zandt, The Vandals, The Wallflowers, The Cult, Tom Morello, and many other artists.

“The proprietary neighboring rights technology we’ve developed, combined with the acquisition of Number13, has enabled us to expand our services into another royalty stream that our members can collect directly through AllTrack. We’re automatically enriching recording-level metadata, driving efficiencies via modern technology, and managing recording registrations directly with local country CMOs,” explains AllTrack Founder and CEO Hayden Bower. “Neighboring rights are complicated. While many artists manage them through a single neighboring rights CMO, or in limited cases through middlemen and aggregators, these parties may not have the relationships or technological capabilities to manage registrations at a local level, resulting in royalty payments that fall significantly short of their full potential. By optimizing every stream we manage, we help artists and labels capture more revenue, whether they choose a standalone service or our entire all-in-one suite of services.”

Neighboring rights ensure that artists, producers, and rights owners are compensated whenever their sound recordings are publicly performed. They exist alongside or "neighbor" the traditional copyright that protects public performances of musical compositions. In the US, these rights include non-interactive performances on SiriusXM (primarily satellite), streaming services, and digital radio. Outside of the US, they also include broadcast radio and TV, as well as money collected from local businesses like bars, restaurants, and hotels. For most artists, producers, and rights owners (typically labels and independent artists), neighboring rights royalties have proven challenging to collect in full, particularly outside of the US. AllTrack collects these royalties directly from a network of relationships with local country-level CMOs throughout the world. These direct relationships, along with AllTrack’s knowledge of each CMO’s platform and technical specifications, ensure that recordings are properly registered per unique local requirements, typically leading to meaningful uplifts in earnings.   

“I am thrilled to join AllTrack to spearhead its neighboring rights division,” notes Metzler, who founded Number13 after decades at SoundExchange, ASCAP, EMI Music Publishing, and various independent record labels. “I have devoted my career to advocating for creators and working to maximize the full potential of their earnings. AllTrack’s modern technology stack, combined with our shared goal of empowering the creative community to maximize their royalties, made AllTrack the perfect partner for Number13. Neighboring rights are a new frontier for many artists, producers, and labels. We make it easy to collect on these rights with a uniquely powerful full-service solution.”

“This acquisition is part of a larger long-term vision to build the most modern, most efficient CMO on the market,” says Bower. “Our team remains fully committed to building on the success of our organic growth achieved to date while also remaining open to exploring additional acquisition opportunities that align with our vision of maximizing value to our music creators and licensees.”  

AllTrack’s neighboring rights services are available immediately. Artists, producers, labels, and rights owners interested in learning more can visit www.alltrack.com/neighboring-rights/