PRS for Music, a UK collection agency, announced that it paid out record royalties to its members last year. The group’s 2017 payouts totaled £605.1 million, up 14.7% from the 2016 amounts. PRS said that 6.6 trillion performances were reported last year, a 53% on-year increase that led to a record-high collection total of £717 million. Continue Reading
PRS for Music, the UK music licensing group, is marking the first year of its Member Anti-Piracy System. The program is designed to help manage unlicensed use of members’ repertoire in online services. Continue Reading
UK music licensing groups PRS for Music and PPL have launched a joint license for the UK’s non-profit radio stations. The joint effort took effect on Jan. 1, 2017. Continue Reading
SoundCloud has signed a licensing deal with pan-European rights hub ICE (the International Copyright Enterprise). This multi-territory arrangement will allow rightsholders across the continent to receive royalties from the audio company’s services, including the SoundCloud Go subscription tier. Continue Reading
The UK is adopting a new Collective Rights Management Directive beginning April 10. These new rules will offer increased oversight of PPL and PRS for Music, the two collection and rights management groups for the region. The changes should ensure that royalty payments from the organizations are fast and accurate.
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Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Playlist placement isn’t enough; reactions to PRS/PPL joint venture; Adele named #1 by IFPI. Continue Reading
Two collecting societies are considering a joint venture that would manage all public performance licensing in the UK. PRS For Music and PPL have announced a proposal to create a 50/50 company that would unite the licensing activities under a single roof. Continue Reading
PRS for Music has extended its multi-territory licensing deal with YouTube. The agreement includes mechanical rights for works represented by the UK copyright agency’s MCPS and IMPEL branches. Continue Reading
SoundCloud has inked a multi-territory licensing deal with PRS for Music, a UK-based organization representing songwriter and publisher rights. This arrangement will cover SoundCloud’s use of PRS’ repertoire since the audio service launched. Continue Reading
Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: PRS subject to anti-competition review; BBC’s Sound of 2016; Nepal’s community radio after the earthquake; dissecting Rdio vs Spotify. Continue Reading
Yesterday, we reported on PRS for Music’s lawsuit against SoundCloud. Today, the plaintiff got a statement of support from their fellow Brits at BASCA. “We acknowledge that streaming is a fantastic means of listening to and enjoying music but SoundCloud’s intransigence in refusing to be licensed through PRS For Music means their model financially damages our members,” CEO Vick Bain said. Continue Reading
We heard rumblings that SoundCloud might face legal action from the major labels, but the one to strike first is actually a UK collection society. PRS for Music is suing the online audio platform because SoundCloud does not have a license for the UK or Europe to play tracks that include material it represents. Continue Reading