Where does the money come from?
From music performed live at UK concert venues, e.g. The Albert Hall or Milton Keynes Bowl. These venues are ticketed and often have large capacities.
How are royalties calculated?
There are two main tariffs based on musical content:
LC – This covers classical music concerts. Venues decide annually whether they will be charged a flat rate (currently 4.8% of the box office receipts) or whether they would like to be charged on a sliding scale based on the amount of copyright music performed (this scale currently goes up to 8% of box office receipts).
LP – This covers popular and other styles of music. Venues are charged 3% of box office receipts.
Both tariffs are currently sampled at 100%, so if your performance qualifies under LC/LP you should receive a royalty payment. Music Festivals will usually fall under a combination of these two tariffs.
What is the administration rate?
View current PRS for Music administration deduction rates
When do we pay?
Royalties are paid quarterly, in accordance to the schedule below:
NB: the top row shows the month the performance took place. The second row shows the target distribution payment month.
If we receive usage information late from the venue or promoter, we will pay the resulting royalties in the next available distribution.
Report a live performance online.
Can royalties be backdated?
Yes. You can back-claim royalties up to 3 years after the period they should have been paid in (see schedule above). If we have paid a third party in error, these royalties can usually be recovered.
Why might I not have been paid for a live music concert performance?
Was the concert in our sample?
Only venues licensed under tariff LC/LP are included automatically. Other concerts are still sampled – see our Concerts selected for distribution list.
Are you sure your music has been registered correctly?
Check our database
Have we received a setlist/programme for the performance?
You can view our Concerts selected for Distribution list to view performances included in our sample and/or check that we have received a setlist for a particular performance.
Need more help?
If, after checking the above you find that you are due a payment that you have not received, please contact us.