Royalty Collection Societies were set-up many years ago to collect royalties on behalf of mainstream artists. Each country (territory) has their own. They cover and collect royalties for performance of music and mechanical duplications. There are so many music uses these days that online video, music on hold and shop promos for example can now also be classed as … [Read more...]
What is a Performing Rights Organization?
When our clients talk to us about using royalty free music for public use, say in a cafe, restaurant or shop, they will often tell us that they've been approached by PRS or PPL and they are looking for some way to avoid having to pay a recurring annual fee, over £1000 I recently heard from one restaurant owner. They are told they have to pay it, but they are not sure why, what … [Read more...]
Introducing Public Safe Music, No PRS & No PPL fees
For some time now we have received requests for music that is safe to play as public background music without having to pay money to Performance Royalty Organisations (PRO's). Until now there has been no easy answer. Here is the problem Royalty free music is often registered with PRO's by the composer to capture potential income from music used on TV or Radio. This means that … [Read more...]
Understanding Royalty Free Music: Music in the Ears of the Public
Using royalty free music is a straightforward process most of the time, however, complications can arise due to the complexity of the historic copyright and music licensing laws globally. This article outlines what the common issues are and what can happen. Many independent composers earn money from royalty free music licensing, but many also register with a performance … [Read more...]
Understanding Royalty Free Music: Industry Recognised but Widely Misunderstood
As mentioned in my previous post Understanding Royalty Free Music: A Slice of Royalty Pie, the term 'Royalty Free Music' has become an industry recognised term, but people's understanding of it varies considerably depending on their experience and knowledge of the subject. A lot of people may not be aware that there is no standard royalty free music licensing agreement in … [Read more...]