PRS Publisher joining criteria

Evidence of published works needed 

We need to see a publishing contract or other agreement in which you acquire the right or licence to publish or sub-publish the work in the territory for which you require PRS to manage your rights.

This must verify your identity and prove that you have at least 15 musical works in your catalogue.

Your evidence must also satisfy the following conditions.

• You have an interest in the performing right or have a share of the income that's generated by its exploitation.
• Your interest or share can be assigned to PRS.
• You carry on, or intend to carry on, a bona fide publishing business in which you undertake to use reasonable endeavours to exploit the works for the benefit of the work’s writers and interested parties.
• You are entitled to receive the publisher share of royalties for any work of which you claim to be the publisher
• The performing right in one or more of the works in your catalogue has been granted through a PRS licence, e.g. a broadcaster.
• You can identify the writers of the works in your catalogue. 

It's important to prove you can vest any rights that PRS can license. A contract that gives you a right to collect the publisher share will not ordinarily be sufficient evidence.

If you have not directly signed any contract with a writer, we might ask for copies of any contracts from the party whom you acquired your rights from. This includes the rights of any intervening parties.

If any contract does not satisfy all the qualifying criteria, we reserve the right to ask for additional information or documentation in order to process your application.