PRS and PPL lauch a new joint venture for public peformance licensing

COPYRIGHT: In the United Kingdom, PRS for Music and Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) have confirmed that, following a strategic review commenced in 2015, the two companies plan to create a joint venture. The new company, jointly and equally owned by PPL and PRS for Music, would focus on serving all PPL and PRS for Music UK public performance licensing customers for both music and sound recording rights. PPL is the music licensing company which works on behalf of record companies and performers to license recorded music played in public. PRS for Music represents the rights of over 115,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in the UK. 

The two CMOs say that this will further streamline the experience for customers obtaining public performance licences, allowing them to secure a joint PPL and PRS for Music licence |"with a single phone call or a few clicks on the web, paid for with a single invoice." Over the coming months, PRS for Music and PPL will be undertaking the necessary preparatory work for the joint venture "Including engagement with regulators and other key stakeholders."

It is anticipated that the new company would start licensing in 2017, followed by a 12-month period during which the full transition of public performance licensing would be completed. It is likely that the new joint venture will be located in a UK city outside the M25.

Robert Ashcroft, Chief Executive, PRS for Music, said, “Creating a single point of contact for our UK public performance customers would allow us to significantly simplify music licensing for UK businesses. It is in our members’ and customers’ interests to ensure that our licensing is ever more accurate and efficient. A joint venture between our organisations would be a landmark event for both societies.”

Peter Leathem, CEO, PPL commented, “Both our organisations firmly believe that the proposed joint venture would be a very positive development for both our customers and our members, building on the successful joint licensing solutions and other joint working initiatives that PPL and PRS for Music have delivered over the last few years.”

Music hits the right notes for business success

A lot of us seem to pay twice when we listen to music in the workplace  - once because the broadcaster pays a blanket levy to the PPL and PRS for Music - and then again because the owner of a shop, factory, or garage also pays for music in the workplace - even if its just for their own staff and not customers. There have been a number of legal challenges to this over the years in the British Courts, including the leading 1943 judgement in Turner v PRS which seemingly supports PRS's view that “If your staff or customers are listening to music on your premises, played by any means from live performance through to radio, TV, CD or via the internet, you need our music licence". The battle has extended to a number of decisions in the European Court of Justice  which has managed to come to the conclusion that hotels do have to pay for providing music ti their guests - but dentists don't have to pay! Musicians and writers deserved to be paid. But paid twice?

Well, and no doubt with one eye on this argument and the need to support their tariffs for factories, offices and other workplaces, PRS and PPL have conveniently released some new research that shows "music hits the right notes for business success" with Christine Geissmar, Operations Director, PPL saying: “The results of this experiment are a clear indication of the value music can add to the workplace. Music is a key tool for business success.” 

The research, undertaken by Mindlab International, was commissioned by MusicWorks, a joint initiative of PRS for Music and PPL, the organisations that between them, represent the rights of thousands of composers, performers, publishers and record companies in the UK.  The experiment required 26 participants to undertake a series of on-line tasks 5 days in a row. Dr David Lewis, chairman of Mindlab International commented: “The MusicWorks experiment revealed a positive correlation between music and productivity – overall it showed that when listening to music, 9 out of 10 people performed better. Music is an incredibly powerful management tool in increasing the efficiency of a workforce. It can exert a highly beneficial influence over employee morale and motivation, helping enhance output and even boosting a company’s bottom line."

The research show
·         81% of people worked fastest when listening to one of four music genres

·         88% of people worked most accurately when listening to one of four music genres

·         Pop music is best for working quickly and accurately

·         Classical music is most effective for solving mathematical problems

·         Ambient music improves data-entry accuracy

·         Dance music enhances proof-reading skills

When listening to a selection of different genres, classical music was found to be the most effective for improving the accuracy of tasks and resolving every-day mathematical problems with participants achieving a 73% pass rate. When listening to pop music, 58% of participants completed data entry tasks much faster. When proof-reading, dance music had the most positive impact, with participants increasing their speed by 20% compared to proof-reading tests undertaken with no music at all.  Dance music also had a positive effect on spell-checking with a 75% pass rate compared to 68% when no music was played at all.

The research also showed that when people did not listen to music, they made the most mistakes while solving equations and spell-checking. Ambient music worked best for accurate data entry tasks, with participants scoring a high pass rate of 92.%.                                                                                                   
Paul Clements, Director of Public Performance Sales, PRS for Music added: “The increase in levels of productivity when music is playing is striking. This project provides a refreshing reminder of the multiple benefits to be gained from listening to music at work.”   

PPL income up by 4%

The UK record industry's collecting society PPL has announced that the total monies it collected for its label and artist members last year were 4% up on 2012, amounting to £176.9 million in 2013.  41.3% of that money came from the UK broadcasters - radio and TV - which licence the rights to the sound recordings they use via PPL. Broadcast income was up 5% year-on-year to £73 million. Meanwhile 39.3% of the money came from British organisations and businesses who play recorded music in public spaces, with that revenue stream bringing in £69.5 million, up 7% on 2012.

The most played tracks were:

1. Daft Punk feat Pharrell Williams - Get Lucky 
2. Robin Thicke feat TI and Pharrell - Blurred Lines
3. Justin Timberlake - Mirrors
4. Bruno Mars - Locked Out Of Heaven
5. P!NK feat Nate Ruess - Just Give Me A Reason
6. Passenger - Let Her Go
7. Avicii - Wake Me Up
8. Naughty Boy feat Sam Smith - La La La
9. Olly Murs feat Flo.Rida - Troublemaker

10. Bruno Mars - When I Was Your Man

PPL income up 11% on 2011

The UK record industry's collecting society PPL has issued its financial results for 2012, confirming that its earnings increased by 11% year-on-year to £170.8 million. 

Public performance income was up 17% to £64.8 million and international income rose 13% to £36.6 million; broadcasting and online income was up 5% to £69.4 million. The report also revealed a small decrease in cost-to-income ratio, from 14.4%, compared to 14.9% in 2011.

PPL collections up!

The UK's sound recording collecting agency PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited) has announced its 2011 financials at the annual London AGM. The revenue generated by broadcast and online royalties was up 7% to £66.2 million, public performance income was up 10% to £55.0 million, and international monies grew 2% to £32.4 million. Overall £153.5 million was collected, of which £130.8million, or 85.21%  was distributed to the society's label and performer members.

PPL also announced the most played pop songs of 2011 which were 

1. Adele - Rolling In The Dee
2. Maroon 5 feat Christina Aguilera - Moves Like Jagger
3. Adele - Set Fire To The Rain
4. Jessie J feat BoB - Price Tag
5. Adele - Someone Like You
6. Ed Sheeran - The A Team
7. Lady Gaga - The Edge Of Glory
8. Bruno Mars - Grenade
9. Rihanna - Only Girl In The World
10. Forget You - Cee Lo Green

and the most Played Classical Pieces Of 2011
1. Ludovico Einaudi - Primavera
2. Ludovico Einaudi - Nightbook
3. Ludovico Einaudi - The Tower
4. City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra with Paul Bateman - On The Beautiful Blue Danube (by Johann Strauss II)
5. Philharmonic Orchestra with Eugene Ormandy - Fanfare For The Common Man (by Aaron Copland)
6. Philip Glass - Metamorphosis One
7. Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra with Ludovico Einaudi - Divenire
8. Cleveland Orchestra with Lorin Maazel - Romeo And Juliet (by Sergei Prokofiev)
9. The Labèques & Philharmonia Orchestra with Semyon Bychkov - Concerto for Two Pianos in E major (by Felix Mendelssohn)
10. Dawn Upshaw & London Sinfonietta with David Zinman - Symphony No 3 (by Henryk Gorecki)