PPL PRS – TheMusicLicence

PPL PRS Ltd and TheMusicLicence

Who is PPL PRS Ltd?
• PPL PRS Ltd is a new company, jointly and equally owned by PPL and PRS for Music. It has been created to provide customers with a streamlined music licensing service, and a single point of contact to make it easier to legally play and perform music in public.
• Previously, businesses and organisations had to purchase separate licences from PPL and PRS for Music.

What is TheMusicLicence?
• TheMusicLicence allows you to legally play and perform music at your business or organisation, whether through the radio, TV, other devices or a live performance.
• If you play or perform music at your business or organisation, you will usually need TheMusicLicence. It will cover you, with one licence and one invoice, for the use of virtually all commercially released music available – millions of songs and recordings, including the most popular and well-loved music from all around the world.

Who are PPL and PRS for Music?
• PPL and PRS for Music are both collective management organisations. They issue licences and collect royalties for certain uses of copyright-protected music, and distribute those royalties to their members.
• PPL represents record companies and performers for the use of recorded music.
• PRS for Music represents songwriters, composers and music publishers for the use of musical compositions and lyrics.
• PPL and PRS for Music have created PPL PRS Ltd to offer a single joint music licence, on behalf of them both, for playing and performing music in public.
• PPL and PRS for Music will continue to operate separately in the other areas of their businesses, including representing their members, collecting royalties from international societies, developing, setting and consulting on their respective tariffs and licensing schemes, and licensing broadcast, online and recorded media customers.

Reprinted by permission of PPL – February 2018