[2] IMRO was founded in 1988,[3] initially as a subsidiary of the Performing Right Society (PRS) in the UK.

[6] During 1996, IMRO was described as described as being engaged in a "dogged pursuit of performance royalties in relation to primary schools".

[9] As of January 2016, IMRO handled the collection and distribution of royalties covered by the repertoire of PPI (Phonographic Performance Ireland) through a joint licensing scheme.

IMRO's function is to collect and distribute royalties arising from the public performance of copyright works.

IMRO collects these monies and distributes them to the songwriters, composers and music publishers who created the songs.