The estate of John Lennon has appointed the UK’s PPL to collect neighbouring rights royalties on all sound recordings where John Lennon or Yoko Ono are listed as a performer.
This means PPL will collect broadcast and public performance royalties in markets where such rights exist for the estate’s interests in John Lennon, Yoko Ono and The Beatles.
Global revenues for neighbouring rights (NR) reached a record $2.7 billion in 2023, up 9.5% YoY, according to the IFPI. PPL has 111 agreements in place with other collective management organisations (CMOs) around the world.
In total, Lennon released 11 solo albums and 23 singles and as a performer, writer or co-writer secured 25 No.1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
He accumulated 23 million record sales as a solo artist and three Billboard No.1 albums.
Lennon and Ono achieved global success with singles such as Happy Xmas (War is Over) and Give Peace a Chance.
The Grammy award-winning album Double Fantasy is their most commercially successful collaboration.
In total, Ono has recorded 14 studio albums, eight collaborative LPs and released 40 singles. She has also built a large following in the world of electronic music with 13 No.1 singles on the Billboard Dance Chart.
“PPL has shown they are the leaders in advocating for neighbouring rights globally. We have the utmost respect for the team and look forward to working with them.”
The John Lennon Estate
The John Lennon Estate said: “PPL has shown they are the leaders in advocating for neighbouring rights globally. We have the utmost respect for the team and look forward to working with them.”
“It is a privilege to advocate for and collect public performance and broadcast rights globally for such a revered catalogue of recorded music.”
Peter Leathem OBE, PPL
Peter Leathem OBE, CEO of PPL, added: “It is an honour to be appointed by the John Lennon Estate for neighbouring rights collections. Our team works hard to ensure no stone is left unturned in the collection of neighbouring rights royalties around the world.
“It is a privilege to advocate for and collect public performance and broadcast rights globally for such a revered catalogue of recorded music.”
PPL has compiled UK broadcast data across radio and TV to reveal the Top 10 Most Played John Lennon recordings of the 21st century.
Woman takes the top spot, receiving one million more seconds of airplay than Imagine. Woman makes up 24% of John Lennon’s total airplay this century, the equivalent of broadcasting the song for six months non-stop, whereas Imagine totals 23%, comparable to five and a half months of continuous play.
- Woman
- Imagine
- Happy Xmas (War Is Over) – John & Yoko And The Plastic Ono Band With The Harlem Community Choir
- (Just Like) Starting Over
- Jealous Guy
- Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)
- Stand By Me
- Nobody Told Me
- Watching The Wheels
- #9 Dream
Music Business Worldwide