About Us

Who We Are

Hong Kong Recording Industry Alliance Limited (HKRIA) is the licensing engine that powers Hong Kong’s recording industry. Trusted by labels to protect their work, and by businesses to secure legal music rights with zero friction. Our mission is simple: ensure creators get paid fairly, and make legal music use effortless for you.

HKRIA is a not-for-profit collective licensing body, incorporated in 2008. We represent the owners of Hong Kong’s sound recordings and music videos, bridging the gap between the artists you love and the venues, broadcasters, and brands that play their music.

We are a registered copyright licensing body under the Copyright Ordinance (Cap. 528) (Copyright Ordinance). Our registration with the Intellectual Property Department (IPD) (IPD Registry) means we operate with full transparency and accountability, making our licensing terms and royalty scales publicly available as required by law.

We are also a local association of IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) (IFPI Local Association List), the global organisation that represents the recording industry worldwide. IFPI's mission is to promote the value of recorded music, protect the rights of record producers, and support the creative community globally.

What We Do

Copyright law in Hong Kong gives the owners of sound recordings the exclusive right to reproduce, broadcast, perform, play or show their works in public. 

HKRIA exists to make the exercise of these rights simple, efficient and practical for everyone. We do this by:

• Issuing licences to businesses, broadcasters, and public venues that wish to reproduce recorded music or play recorded music in public
• Collecting licence fees from licensees
• Distributing those fees to our member record labels (after deducting necessary operating expenses) according to fair and transparent distribution rules
• Enforcing copyright against unauthorised use of our members' recordings through legal means where necessary

Our History and Membership

HKRIA was incorporated in October 2008 by four of the world's leading record companies – Sony Music, Universal Music, Warner Music, and EMI. Today, we represent over 30 record labels – a dynamic mix of established international companies and independent local labels – with a combined membership that represents over 80% of the global music market share

A Note to Hong Kong’s Businesses and Our Members

If you are a record label – whether an established international company or an independent local label – we invite you to join us.

If your business uses recorded music – whether as background music, in broadcasts, at events, or in any other public setting – we are here to help you do it right.

Music enriches our lives and our businesses. A licence is not just a legal requirement – it is a recognition of the value that music brings to your customers, your business and your brand.