What rights are covered in the licence?
This is a joint MCPS and PRS for Music licence, allowing you to reproduce and store music in the form of ringtones and to digitally deliver them to the public.
How to apply
To apply for Joint Ringtone Licence you must complete a hard copy of the application form and return it to us by post, at: Online Licensing, 5th Floor BMH, 29-33 Berners Street, London, W1T 3AB
How much does the licence cost?
Royalty rates are calculated as a percentage of Gross Revenue generated by the service and are set as follows:
• 12% of revenue is charged for Realtones (official sound recordings licensed from the applicable record label) with a minimum of £0.10 per Realtone
• 15% for all other types of ringtone (including mono and polyphonic) with a minimum of £0.15 per Mono / Polyphonic tone
Please see the Ringtone Summary sheet for a more detailed breakdown of rates.
What is excluded from the Joint Ringtone Licence?
• Ringtones which incorporate more than 1 minute of a piece of music
• The use of music with any advertising or sponsorship
• The use of unauthorised arrangements, adaptations, parodies, burlesques and dramatico-musical works
• Music used in a context that is derogatory to the writer or the performer of the music.
• Moral rights
• Graphic rights (where the words of the song are graphically represented on screen)
• The ‘synchronisation’ of musical works with images
• The supply of Ringtones on a physical product or pre-loaded device (For physical products, please contact MCPS Licensing on 020 8378 7500 or email the MCPS applications team at applications@mcps.co.uk)
• Ringback tones. A separate scheme applies for Ringbacks
The licence excludes the commercial sound recordings rights for Realtones. Please contact the Phonographic Performance Limited on 020 7534 1000 or the relevant record company.
Reporting
You are required to report details of revenue within 21 days of the quarter end and details of usage within 1 calendar month of the quarter end.
Further Information
Please view the full terms and conditions or contact the Broadcast & Online Licensing Team on 020 7306 4991 or email onlinelicensing@prsformusic.com for further info.
