Jump to content
aberdeen-music

Music licensing in public places...


Edgar Graham

Recommended Posts

All the staff in my workshop were taken in to a meeting today and told that the music licence folk had been pestering us since October enquiring about our set up. As a result of their enquiries all radios/ipod speakers/cd players have had to be removed from the workshop. Apparently it is regarded as a public place and we do not have a licence to play music.

If you buy a licence it only counts for one radio and I assume they are pretty expensive seeing as it's The Wood Group I work for and my workshop alone is turning over millions of pounds a year so if they were reasonably enough priced they'd get bought. Maybe they're just being tight cunts.

Just found the website now, going to look into a bit more but I thought the whole thing was pretty stupid/annoying.

Welcome to PRS for Music

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While I can see why it'd be annoying for a two man business operating out of someone's garage (or something along those lines), it seems completely fair for a business like Topshop / Topman, who'd be trying to get customers in the door through playing 'trendy' music, among other things. The Wood group will be able to afford the costs, no question about it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Isn't the whole PRS licence thing one of the biggest scams around?

Something is very wrong about the idea of a private organisation being able to demand money in this way. There's an interesting thread about them at FSB Discussion Forums: Performing Rights Society.

What kind of percentage of money collected is actually going to the people they claim to represent, I wonder?

I found this as well - PRS board

Say no more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

MCPS already gather money from radio stations for playing songs so I don't see why PRS have to get involved by demanding more money!

PRS collect that money and MCPS collect money for the copying and producing of recordings hence the Mechanical Copyright thing.

Cloud, PRS is a not for profit org and the money is filtered down through and to all members. There used to be a time when the big royalty earners received a disproportionate share but this has changed in the last several years.

PRS have recently made it easier to join and also easier to get your due royalties if your a member through easy online registration of gigs in non performance registered venues such as Cafe Drummond and the Tunnels.

I do hope you never get into music management.o_O

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about the trollops that play Bassline, or that weird chipmunk shit dead loud on the bus through their tinbox phone speakers... Are they going to get proverbially shat on by the powers that be?

Fingers crossed!

That's not music though. That's audio graffiti and they should get charged by the bobbies!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So, the radio station pays to play the track, we then pay again to listen?

No 'we,' (meaning everyone), but in theory, businesses who may be using the music in order to bring customers in, energise the workforce, etc. Just think of it as an expense in the sense that communal coffee/tea is. The costs for these are adjusted depending on type of business/how often music is played/number of employees.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

'Energise the workforce'. That's a good one. How much of the money they collect do they spend on hiring humourless balloons to call up businesses to tell them they have to pay the PRS money?

'We don't have any radios'

'What about the workshop?'

'We don't have any radios'

'None in the office?'

'We don't have any radios'

'Nobody listens to music on their computer'

'NO, IT'S CALLED WORKING'

'You're sure?'

'Yes, hang on, what if someone is whistling, would we have to pay then?'

'Well, if it was a recognisable tune.....'

(Give me strength.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

'Energise the workforce'. That's a good one. How much of the money they collect do they spend on hiring humourless balloons to call up businesses to tell them they have to pay the PRS money?

'We don't have any radios'

'What about the workshop?'

'We don't have any radios'

'None in the office?'

'We don't have any radios'

'Nobody listens to music on their computer'

'NO, IT'S CALLED WORKING'

'You're sure?'

'Yes, hang on, what if someone is whistling, would we have to pay then?'

'Well, if it was a recognisable tune.....'

(Give me strength.)

Or, a band or artist write songs (product) and the PRS collect royalties on their behalf for any public plays of said songs (product) belonging to the artist.

They are maybe tightening up in order to provide the PRS members with the money that is owed to them.

Im not sure of their definition of a public space and its will be a tricky argument either way. I had my run ins with them at Drakes but in hindsight it was all fair enough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pretty weird that people who appear to play in bands seem to be against the idea of PRS!

Tiz odd indeed.

Royalties from even a small amount of success through gigging and the odd airplay can mount up in no time. And the PRS now allow you to join for 10 with the rest of their fee found from your initial royalties payments

There are one or two folk in Aberdeen that could be earning a nice little additional income if only they were members of said org! Where does this income come from? Hmmmmmmm

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tiz odd indeed.

Royalties from even a small amount of success through gigging and the odd airplay can mount up in no time. And the PRS now allow you to join for 10 with the rest of their fee found from your initial royalties payments

There are one or two folk in Aberdeen that could be earning a nice little additional income if only they were members of said org! Where does this income come from? Hmmmmmmm

Exactly, at 10 you just need played on national radio once (Vic Galloway for example) to be in profit... You'd be surprised at the payments you get for doing things like radio sessions , too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Exactly, at 10 you just need played on national radio once (Vic Galloway for example) to be in profit... You'd be surprised at the payments you get for doing things like radio sessions , too.

1 minute of daytime airplay on a national radio station earns around 18.50

1 min of tv play is around 24

Do the math. The View will be doing not too bad even after all the deductions for advances, label cut, managerial percentage etc etc.

Playing the one gig at the Lemon tree can earn 30ish. Add that to the fee for the gig... ching(ish)

Have to pay the tax man through:swearing:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...