With the 2025 PRS AGM less than a month away, voting members are being encouraged to vote on the meeting’s proposed resolutions in advance.
This brand new option will allow more eligible songwriters, composers and publishers to directly participate in how PRS is governed — even if they are unable to attend the AGM on 3 June at the IET London: Savoy in person.
Advance voting can be done either online or by post, with these votes counting towards the resolutions that are put to a poll during the AGM. Alternatively, voting members can still choose to vote on the day in person or by proxy.
The change was proposed by the PRS Members’ Council in 2024 to improve access, broaden the representation of the PRS electorate and increase direct participation in the AGM. According to PRS’s 2025 voting member data, over 50% of voting members in the UK live outside London while 10% are based internationally — highlighting the clear benefits of introducing advance voting.
This measure was then unanimously voted through by members during the 2024 AGM.
Speaking to M, PRS Members’ Council President Crispin Hunt praised the introduction of advance voting.
‘I think advance voting is a really good idea, and I'm very grateful that it was approved during the 2024 AGM,’ he said. ‘It came as part of a package that also included the Voting Plus category being added to PRS's voting structure. All of these things were put in place in order to enfranchise the membership.
‘It's always been a sort of oddity of corporate law that it's only those present at the AGM [who can vote], particularly in the olden days when it used to be a show of hands that made decisions for our members. But through advance voting, rather than handing in your proxy, you can remotely participate in the future governance of our society.’
Crispin added: ‘Democracy is such an important aspect of PRS: it's what gives PRS its ultimate credibility and legitimacy to fight on behalf of our rights and to represent our members. We have a mandate from them, and this only increases the accuracy of that mandate.
‘Fundamentally, this is a massive act of enfranchisement for everyone who has a stake in PRS’s future. That's what's wonderful about this collective: it works as a collective.'
