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Collecting Societies & Associations
PRS
The Performing Right Society is an organisation which
collects licence fees on behalf of its members. The members
of the PRS are composers and publishers who own the copyright
in songs and who wish to commercially exploit their material.
The PRS deals with the "performing right" in music;
that is, the right to perform that music in public and to
broadcast it on the radio, for example.
When businesses wish to play music in public, such as in
a shop, pub or club, they must first obtain a licence to do
so. They will usually obtain a "blanket licence"
from the PRS which will be reviewed annually.
The PRS is a non-profit making organisation, although a deduction
is made to the royalties which it distributes to its members
in order to cover its operating costs.
MCPS
The Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society is a similar
organisation to the PRS. It too, acts as a collecting society
for composers and publishers. However, the MCPS is concerned
with the "mechanical rights" in compositions, that
is to say, the right to make a sound recording of the composition.
Whenever someone wishes to make a recording of a song which
has been composed by one of the members of the MCPS, it must
pay a fee to do so. The MCPS operates an Audio Product licensing
scheme for those companies wishing to manufacture and distribute
recordings, such as CDs, for retail sale to the public. Various
licenses are available for different circumstances. The agreement
contains a licence to record any musical work in the MCPS
repertoire.
What is important for the composer/publisher is that it will
receive royalty payments from the MCPS in respect of its compositions.
Again, a deduction will be made for the operational costs
of the organisation.
PPL
Phonograph Performance Limited is concerned with the rights
in sound recordings. While it does not have the authority
in most cases to grant a licence for the copying of sound
recordings, it does regulate the public performance and broadcast
of sound recordings by, for example, radio stations. PPL is
not concerned with the underlying rights in the sound recording,
i.e. the actual composition, but with the rights in the recording
of the composition.
As a general rule, when a sound recording is broadcast or
publicly performed in the UK, a licence will be necessary.
A licence will usually grant the right to publicly perform
or broadcast any of the songs which are in PPL's repertoire
and owners of sound recording rights can expect payment of
royalties.
PAMRA
The Performing Artists' Media Rights Association was brought
into effect more recently. Amendments to the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988, brought into effect an equitable remuneration
right for performers in relation to their performers' rights
[LINK - to explanation of performer's rights]. There is an
overlap between PPL and PAMRA. However, PPL is concerned with
the broadcast of the sound recording, whereas PAMRA is concerned
with the broadcast and public performance of an artists' recorded
performance. If registered with PAMRA, the association will
help to collect money on the artist's behalf.
OTHERS
There are a considerable number of other organisations
which are concerned with different aspects of the music industry.
The Musicians' Union, the BPI, the British Association of
Record Dealers and the Band Register are some of these. It
may be a worthwhile exercise to carry out some research or
seek advice on the organisations which exist and which expressly
represent your commercial interests in the music industry.
They may be able to help you and give you guidance on your
career or business.
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