COVID-19: Maintaining our services to our members

With the UK’s response to the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) having moved into a 'delay' phase, we are all concerned about the impact this is going to have on our members lives and earnings. Please be assured that everyone here at PRS is very focused on continuing to support our members through this challenging period.

Getting our members royalties is, of course, our top priority. We have successfully tested our capability for all staff to work remotely if needed and April’s distribution will continue as planned for 15 April. We are also already looking at ways in which impacts on the July distribution can be minimised. We will remain as proactive as possible in supporting our members and their issues and, should a significant number of our staff become ill, our contingency planning will mean we can run our essential services pretty much as usual.

One aspect of our contingency planning involves us trying to minimise the spread of the infection amongst staff so we can maintain our support to members. We have therefore postponed upcoming face-to-face events and meetings or, where possible, moved them online. We’re sorry if members have been affected by these changes, it hasn’t been an easy decision to make, but the wellbeing of our staff, and our external guests, is obviously crucial.

This is a difficult time for all in the music business, especially those who work in the live sector. Going forward, we’ll be working with our partners across the industry and in government to ensure we do everything we can to help and support those affected.

Our guiding principle throughout this time is to ensure the livelihood and safety of our employees and our members. We will continue to monitor the situation daily, communicate regularly and ensure we do everything possible to maintain our support to members.