Surprisingly (or not surprisingly), many people STILL don’t know how to register for PRS 😑, so I thought I would make this guide so you can share it with:
Artists/Songwriters
Music Managers
Producers
I will do 3 things today
Explain who PRS for Music (PRSfM) are and why it’s important
The 2 types of royalties
Talk about the impact they have had
Breakdown a discussion with Greg Marshall, who had been with PRS for Music for 14 years
Who PRS for Music engage with and how to get royalties
But first, a quick acronym buster
PRS - collects and distributes royalties for the public performance of music including concerts, gigs, broadcast and online. Composers, songwriters and music publisher earn royalties for use of their recorded music and lyrics
MCPS - collects and distributes royalties when music is copied/reproduced ice, CD’s, DVDs, downloads. Music publisher association
PPL - collects and distributes royalties, performers and record companies for use of recording
So to start with, let’s understand why it’s important to register for royalties.
Last week I spoke about how much money you can make from Streaming. Now to really maximise the income you get from music, you need royalties. This means that when your registered music gets played publicly, you get paid
You know what I’m doing Zeze, I am having a go at errrrm, MY ROYALTIES - Wiley (Zeze Millz show 2020)
Who are PRS for Music?
PRS for Music are a royalty collection and distribution society. Customers of PRSfM buy licences from them, allowing them to legally use its members music.
To understand their incentives, they were formed to protect music rights and are governed and owned by their members of which 95% are writers and composers. Without PRS for Music, business/organisations would need permission from artists.
The 2 types of royalties
PRS - collects and distributes royalties for the public performance of music including concerts, gigs, broadcast and online. Composers, songwriters and music publisher earn royalties for use of their recorded music and lyrics
MCPS - collects and distributes royalties when music is copied/reproduced ice, CD’s, DVDs, downloads. Music publisher association
So when should you join?
Join at the point when you start to get some usage. It’s only £50 for each and then you are a member for a lifetime. You can get payment after 6 months
Impact 🎯
In the first-year, PRS for Music collected £1,572. In 2012, it was £640m
What do you have to do
Above is the 30 min YouTube video that breaks a lot of this stuff down, but Greg Mashall explained it as consisting of 2 simple steps:
Register pseudonym
Register works (name of the track, remixes, alternative titles)
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Who do PRS for Music engage with?
Festivals
Radio stations
TV broadcasters
Record labels
DSPs: (Spotify, Apple Music, etc)
Online download stores like Beatport/iTunes
Before we talk about how PRS monitor usage, let's pause for just a second. If you're enjoying this article on how to earn royalties, then you'll probably find my other writing on the dope moves marketing teams are making. Each week, I share a detailed piece on something useful as well as where the money is going and special deals.
How does PRS for Music monitor usage?
Radio
They get broadcast data technology and rely on Soundmouse to provide music reporting services.
Smaller stations
PRS for Music put more effort into the ones that pay them the most. Generally, smaller stations take a sample of a few days a month.
Clubs
For clubs, they rely on manual lists from DJs.
Soundcloud
Checkout this PRS for Music and SoundCloud reach licensing agreement 📃They are obviously doing looking to work with DSPs like Soundcloud, but this is dependent on them reaching a mutually agreed deal.
YouTube
PRSfM receives the usage information from them across Europe and various other countries.
It will require a large number of views on YouTube for you to receive anything meaningful because it is a free streaming platform for the user
What about International usage 🌍?
PRS for music have affiliate agreements with most countries around the world so if you are a member of PRS and your music in broadcast in Brazil…the Brazilian society will collect that income and pay it through to us so that we can do the same to you, and they do the same back.
Each society has its own policy on what they pay out and what they don’t
Do DJ’s get paid? 💿
The Artist and Producers of tracks that in your mixes will get paid, the incentive is to support the artist you love and are playing. If you are producing tunes, get them in your mixes and submit the setlist….make sure you are a member.
So boom, if your friend is an artist, songwriter or producer. Share this with them.
There are no excuses, the share button is here 👇