Background & Curtain Music Licencing – PPL Confusion!

[paulears]

Just thought I'd add this on - as people were talking about what the agencies do.

 

PRS are unhappy with how ITV use music on TV programmes.

 

Temporary increase to PRS TV admin rates

 

After careful consideration by the Executive Board, it has been agreed that there will be a temporary rise to our TV admin rates by an additional one percent for one year. This will be implemented to cover the expected costs associated with defending the recent Copyright Tribunal reference brought against PRS by the broadcaster ITV.

 

Following prolonged negotiations, ITV referred the new deal (covering broadcasts from 1 January 2015), to the Copyright Tribunal. This was due to disagreements over the details of our licence renewal. We feel it is vital that we fully participate and vigorously defend this referral to secure a fair return for the use of our members’ work. Copyright Tribunals are costly but it’s important to protect and champion your work and ensure you are fairly remunerated whenever it is used.

 

The Executive Board has therefore approved a proposal for a one percent increase in our TV admin rates for a period of one year, this being the fairest way of covering the expected costs in defending this referral. While the tribunal will only rule on the ITV licence, it is an important decision for all members whose music is played on TV, meaning we are sharing the cost across all our TV revenues.

[chelgrian]

wot confuses me is why the band who wrote the song need to fill in a prs form for performing there own work

 

Because if you sign up to the PRS you grant them an exclusive license to administer the rights. While signing up to the PRS is not mandatory is might as well be as music users either want entirely royalty free music under a non-PRS license or they want to only deal with the PRS.

 

Given that it's now entirely possible, at least for recorded music, to track exactly what is being played I would love to see a competitor to the PRS which did this. However it won't happen because of the obnoxious exclusivity clause in the contract and the PRS being the incumbent.