We’ve been here for over 100 years, making sure that writers, composers and publishers are paid fairly for the use of their music. It’s one of the reasons that we’re trusted by more than 125,000 music makers to manage their rights and royalty payments.
PRS for Music is home to the Performing Right Society (PRS) and the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS), so you also have the option to join as a member of both, or as member of either. The society that you join will depend on the royalties you’d like to earn.
PRS represents performing rights and collects royalties for the performance of its members’ work.
MCPS represents mechanical rights and collects royalties for the reproduction of its members’ work.
Join as a writer
Joining PRS for Music as a songwriter or composer means you can earn money when your music is used. You don’t need to be signed to a record label or a publisher, but you do need to be identified as the copyright owner of a musical work.
Join as a publisher
If you have at least 15 works in your catalogue, and you can provide evidence of your status as a publisher, you can earn royalties through your performing and mechanical rights.
Under Article 4 of PRS' Articles of Association PRS' members comprise: Writers, publishers and proprietors of copyright musical works.
Where a member is deceased, this term also refers to any successor including; any spouse, child, next of kin, beneficiary, personal representative, trustee, publisher or proprietor (PRS refers to such persons as 'successors' or 'successor members').
In order to qualify for membership, applicants must be able to prove:
- their eligibility as a writer, publisher, proprietor, or successor
- their identity
- their right to assign the performing right to PRS
- their right to the performing right income from PRS