As a composer as well as a sound designer I should license my music through PRS, MCPS and PPL, this means that they can be used in all forms of media, online and even through retail and distribution, I will gain royalties through the use of my music.
This research is relevant to learning outcome 5 of this project where I state that, I need to broaden my knowledge on PRS, in terms of being paid for the use of my music.
PRS is a licensing company, which pays out royalties to writers, bands and publishers. It is required by any business, live venue or broadcasting service, to hold a license to play and distribute music.
PRS licenses businesses and organisations to play, perform and to make the members of PRS’s music available to use, for which then they can track the number of plays the music has by sending researchers, to the establishment to collect the stats. From there they can distribute the royalties to the licensed artists.
There are different forms of licenses, for different types of music promotion and distribution, so it’s essential that you purchase the correct License.
Artists, writers and publishers sign up to PRS so that they are played the significant royalties for when their music is played publically, by signing up to PRS organizations that have purchased the correct license from PRS are then able to use their music in works of their own, be that online, through forms of media such as T.V. and Radio Broadcasting.
When assigning copyright to a client you are not allowed to distribute your music through other means, earning royalties through the use of PRS unless, it’s stated in the assignment of copyright contract that the music composed is not specific to the client film in question.
MCPS is a royalty scheme licensed under PRS for Music, and deals with the mechanical or reproductive copyrights. It deals with distribution, import and on occasion, synchronisation.
The mechanical rights are paid directly to the composer or publisher when their music is reproduced in a physical product or to be broadcasted.
When a composer licenses his/her work through MCPS, they earn royalties when the music is reproduced, for instance if a clip of their music is used within a film, they will not only attain royalties through PRS for the use of their music within the film but also if the film is produced into a DVD format and distributed, they will also gain royalties for this as well.
PPL is music license specific for music within business. Any business that plays recorded music in public, such as a shop, bar, office, restaurant, gym, community building, not-for-profit organisation – or activities such as dance classes are legally required to have a PPL License.
PPL is a different license to PRS. In most instances of recorded music being played in public, a music license is required from organisations. PPL collects and distributes license fees for the use of recorded music on the behalf of record companies and performers, while PRS for Music collects and distributes for the use of musical compositions and lyrics on the behalf of songwriters, composers and publishers.
The cost of PPL is measured differently to PRS it depends on factors such as:
- Business type
- The size of the area in the business that the music can be heard in
- How recorded music is used in the business (as background music)
- The type of social activity that may be taking place
Through the use of these methods of licensing I can use my music and distribute it freely, without worries and anxieties of not being paid for the use of my work.
You can also back track the use of your music within PRS, so if you’re late to signing up to PRS, you can still claim back on royalties that are owed to you from the use of your music.