Whether you are a featured artist or a session musician, if any tracks that you have performed on are broadcast on the radio or played in public, you need to register with PPL to ensure you receive any airplay royalties that may be due to you.
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Under UK copyright law, performers are (in certain circumstances) entitled to what is called “equitable remuneration” (i.e. a fair payment) where sound recordings on which they have performed are played in public or broadcast in the UK. It is not the user of the sound recordings who has to pay the performers, but the owner of the sound recording copyright. In practice, this responsibility is assumed by PPL, because we act on behalf of those copyright owners. As a result, the licence fee income generated by PPL is distributed (once our running costs are deducted) to our record company and performer members, in accordance with our distribution policies.
More information about where the money comes from
More information about PPL's distribution of performer money
Please note that performers are only legally entitled to equitable remuneration in respect of “qualifying performances” – this is a limitation imposed by UK copyright law, see elsewhere in these FAQs for more details about what it means. The qualifying performance must also be given on a commercially-published sound recording.
Please also note that, even if you have given a qualifying performance on a commercially-published sound recording, not all uses of that recording will trigger the equitable remuneration right. For example, so-called “making available” services – e.g. where tracks are available on-demand – do not legally give rise to equitable remuneration. Similarly, copying sound recordings does not give rise to equitable remuneration. The equitable remuneration right also does not apply to music videos under UK copyright law.
Please contact us if you would like more information about the scope of the equitable remuneration regime.
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Yes, if it is given by a qualifying individual, or takes place in a qualifying territory. Under UK copyright law, a “qualifying individual” is a citizen or subject of, or an individual resident in, a qualifying territory. (For your performance to qualify on the basis of you being a qualifying individual, you would have to have met the “qualifying individual” criteria at the time you gave that performance.)
For a list of current qualifying territories, please click here
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If you are a US citizen then, as the US is not currently a qualifying territory, your performances will only be qualifying performances if they took place in a qualifying territory (see previous FAQ for a list of these) or at a time when you were a citizen/subject of or a resident in a qualifying territory.
If your performances are qualifying performances, then you are likely to be entitled to equitable remuneration for them – why not register with us and find out?
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To register online click here: Joining PPL
or
Contact Performer Services on:
Tel: +44 (0)20 7534 1234 or email: performer@ppluk.com
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PPL is not the same as PRS for Music (formerly the Performing Right Society (PRS) and the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society (MCPS)).
UK copyright law protects separately the underlying musical and lyrical compositions (e.g. the “song”) embodied in sound recordings and music videos. The rights in those musical and lyrical works are owned separately (by composers/publishers) and licensed collectively on behalf of those separate copyright owners by PRS for Music.
The equitable remuneration paid by PPL to performers is a share in the licence fee income PPL generates from the sound recording rights. It is separate from the income paid out by PRS for Music. As a result, even if you are registered with PRS for Music as a songwriter or composer, you should also register with PPL to make sure that you receive any income you are due as a performer as well.
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It is free to register.
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Each year there is one distribution (that currently takes place at the end of June). At this distribution, revenues collected the previous calendar year are paid out. So, for example, revenues collected between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2009 were distributed on 30 June 2010.
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No. Each performer has an individual right and so must register separately
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