PRS For Music - Fields of Activity

Fields of Activity

PRS for Music administers the performance rights and mechanical rights' of about 10 million musical works on behalf of its songwriter, composer and publisher members. PRS for Music licenses and collects royalties on its members' musical works whenever they are publically performed, or recordings of them are broadcast or played in public spaces, both in the UK and globally through its partner network. A PRS premises.

After operating costs are deducted, the remaining money is distributed to the copyright holders (namely, the songwriters and/or the publishers).

The principle sources of PRS revenue collection are: music transmitted on television and radio broadcasts, and music performed live at gigs, concerts and theatres.

PRS for Music also has a large range of tariffs for organisations (businesses, government organisations, educational establishments, and so on) dependent on their size and the extent to which they are using music, and whether they are commercial premises or not as well as many other criteria. Around 350,000 UK businesses have paid for a licence from the PRS, but some workplaces do not need one:

  • Inpatient and treatment areas in hospitals
  • Medical day centres
  • Residential homes (in most circumstances)
  • Music used in divine worship (although licences are required for copyrighted music)
  • Civil wedding ceremonies and partnership ceremonies
  • Lone and home workers.

In February 2010, PRS for Music announced its 2009 financial results, which showed a modest 2.6% increase in revenue to £623m.

PRS for Music is not to be confused with Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL), which collects analogous royalties to the owners of sound recordings (record companies) and performers (musicians).


Business Area 2009 (£m)
Broadcasting & Online 177.4
International 166.9
Public Performance Sales 150.2
Recorded Media 128.5
Total 623.0

The total licencing and administration costs of PRS for Music (the MCPS-PRS alliance) are also published in their annual reports as £70.2 million in 2009.

Read more about this topic:  PRS For Music

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