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PRS and PPL officially launch joint performing rights licence

By | Published on Thursday 1 March 2018

PPL PRS

PRS For Music and PPL have officially launched their new joint venture company. The imaginatively named PPL PRS Ltd will provide one licence to cover all public performance rights.

The new company will administer the joint licence – called TheMusicLicence. This will mean anyone wishing to play recorded music publicly – such as bars, offices, gyms, fishmongers and music venues – will only have to sign one agreement. This will then cover them for the performing rights in both recordings and songs.

Previously, it was necessary to get two licences – one with PPL for recording rights and another with PRS For Music for publishing rights. Plans to launch the new joint venture were originally revealed in early 2016. In May last year, it was announced that they’d finally settled on the PPL PRS Ltd name, and that Suzanne Smith would run the show, joining from credit rating company Experian.

Yesterday, the new company officially launched at its Leicester HQ, offering the new joint licence to anyone who wants to come and get it.

“We are very excited to now offer customers of both PPL and PRS For Music a more streamlined approach for licensing their businesses to play and perform music”, says Smith in a statement. “With the launch of TheMusicLicence we are providing one licence and one contact, enabling companies and organisations to enhance their customer and employee experience by playing music in their premises”.

PRS For Music chief exec Robert Ashcroft adds: “We have invested years of effort and millions of pounds to simplify music licensing for UK businesses and on behalf of PRS For Music, I am delighted to launch what is the largest joint venture of its kind in the world. This is the beginning of a new era in public performance licensing, which will bring real benefits to our members and customers alike”.

Businesses can apply for the new joint licence via the PPL PRS website. Those which already have separate deals with PRS and/or PPL will be transitioned to a joint agreement as their existing licences expire.



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