What is the difference between IPRS and PPL?

IPRS collects for the composition, the writers and publishers, while PPL administers public performance of sound recordings, the master. Different rights, different bodies, and you can earn from both.

Do I need to register copyright if I am already with IPRS?

They do different jobs. IPRS collects your royalties; registering with the Copyright Office is optional proof of ownership. Doing both is the strongest position.

How do you protect a song from being stolen in India?

Keep dated proof of authorship and your stems, register your compositions, and put clear ownership on a signed split sheet in every collaboration. Prevention beats chasing it later.

How do I register a song copyright online in India?

You protect the composition by registering with a copyright society, IPRS for music and lyrics, and optionally with the government Copyright Office online. Your recording is separately identified by its ISRC through your distributor.

How do I release a cover song legally in India?

A cover needs a licence for the underlying composition. In India this usually means a statutory or mechanical licence, or permission via the publisher or IPRS, and some cover-licensing services can handle it. Never release a cover without clearing the composition rights.

What is music licensing in India?

Music licensing is granting or obtaining permission to use a composition or recording, for a cover, a film, an ad, or a venue. The recording rights and the composition or publishing rights are licensed separately.

What is the difference between ISRC and ISWC?

An ISRC identifies a specific recording; an ISWC identifies the underlying composition, the song itself across all recordings of it. You get an ISRC from your distributor and an ISWC through your publishing or IPRS registration.

How do I collect international royalties from India?

Register your compositions with IPRS, which has reciprocal deals with foreign societies, and use publishing administration to collect global publishing royalties; your distributor collects the recording royalties worldwide.

How to register music copyright and join IPRS in India

How to register your music copyright and join IPRS in India

Copyright exists the moment you create a song, but collecting what you are owed takes a few deliberate steps. Here is the plain version.

By Siby John, thirteen years inside the platforms that decide which music gets seen: Marketing Manager at YouTube India from 2022 to 2025, working with 400+ artists and labels, now Senior Creator Manager at LinkedIn. Reviewed 1 August 2026.

Short answer

Copyright in your song exists automatically the moment it is created, but registering with the Copyright Office gives you stronger proof, and registering your compositions with IPRS is how you actually collect performance and mechanical royalties when your music is played or streamed. These are two different steps, and as a writer you should do both.

Copyright is automatic, but registration helps

Under Indian law, copyright in an original musical work and its lyrics exists automatically when you create it, you do not have to register to own it. What registration with the Copyright Office adds is stronger, dated proof of ownership, which matters if there is ever a dispute. It is optional, but worth doing for work you care about.

The two rights: composition and recording

Every song carries two separate rights that earn separately:

The composition: the underlying song, the melody and lyrics. This is the writer's and publisher's side, and it is collected in India by IPRS.
The master: the specific recording. This is the performer's and label's side. Public performance of sound recordings is administered in India by PPL, and streaming and download income for the recording flows through your distributor.

If you wrote and recorded your own song, you can earn on both sides, which is exactly why registering matters.

What IPRS does and how to join

IPRS is the Indian society that collects performance and mechanical royalties for writers, composers, and publishers, the money owed when your composition is played in public, broadcast, or streamed. As an independent songwriter you can apply for membership and then register each of your works with its details and ownership splits. Unregistered compositions simply are not collected, so this is the step that turns your writing into income.

Protect your collaborations

Most rights disputes come from unclear splits. Agree who owns what percentage of the composition in the room, on a signed split sheet, before any money or argument arrives. Keep dated proof of authorship and your stems. Our Resources toolkit includes a split-sheet template.

The takeaway

Do three things: keep proof of authorship, register your compositions with IPRS so royalties reach you, and put clear ownership in every collaboration and release. The rights chapter of the Playbook goes deeper, and the Answers hub covers ISRC codes, publishing, sample clearance, and more. If you would rather have someone read your deals and set this up with you, that is part of the programme.

Free to read, no sign-up. When you want a team on your releases, the programme is founder-led, one month to start, and never takes a cut of your music.

Last updated 2026-08-01. Free to read. Part of Answers by Indie Music India.