Lesson time: (37min 15sec)
A 40-minute interview with Stuart Belsham of PRS for Music, covering what PRS does, how it works with publishers, and how to join as a member.
This lesson is part of the course A Guide To Music Publishing And Synchronization
Watch a preview of the full course below.
Lesson transcript:
Hello, Stuart. Welcome to Tile Yard. First of all, who are you? What do you do?
Well, I'm Stuart Belsham, I work at PRS for Music and my role is Education and Outreach Manager. Predominantly, I work in East England and the East Midlands area.
Great. And what is PRS?
PRS stands for the Performing Rights Society. It is a royalty collection and distribution society that acts on behalf of songwriters, composers, producers, and music publishers. Our main purpose is to ensure that when their music is used in public, they receive remuneration for it. We collect and license music on their behalf, then pay them royalties.
In terms of the different areas of PRS, what do they cover within the different departments?
PRS is, to my best knowledge, the largest employer in the music industry with over 600 staff. Internally, we are divided into:
Behind that, there are various important departments including:
You mentioned that your membership represents composers and publishers. Can you elaborate on your relationship with publishers?
As you rightly say, our membership base includes publishers, songwriters, composers, and producers. Currently, we have about 118,000 members, with the majority being composer and songwriter-based. The number of publisher members is probably between 8,000 to 10,000. Our publishers range from major entities, like Universal, to small independent publishers.
What is the difference between PRS and publishers?
PRS collectively manages the rights of songwriters, composers, and publishers to administer on the songwriter's behalf. We license all public uses of music in the UK.
Essentially:
For those confused about the difference:
I've heard something called reciprocal deals. Can you explain that?
Certainly. PRS licenses in the UK, but every major territory has its own licensing body. For example, in the USA, there's ASCAP and BMI.
When, say, the Foo Fighters (an American band) have their music played in the UK, we collect the income and then send that to the relevant American organization rather than paying the artists directly.
How can someone join as a publisher, and is it easy?
To become a publishing member, you can self-publish your works. If you're an independent composer, you don't have to join as a publisher. However, if you want to represent others, you'll need:
How often do payments happen for composers and publishers?
Payments from PRS occur quarterly. In contrast, MCPS payments can happen as frequently as monthly, depending on the activity of your works.
When members receive statements, they should analyze their usage. If they notice missing income, they can raise a query through our membership team.
Membership Queries:
Final Thoughts on the Industry
The music industry is experiencing challenges, especially concerning digital income. However, at PRS, we strive to ensure that all songwriters receive proper compensation for their work online.
Thank you, Stuart, for sharing such insightful information!
You're welcome, and it's a pleasure to share my knowledge.
Jay Mistry is a music industry veteran of 30 years and is fluent in most aspects of the music business. Jay began his career at the Performing Right Society before joining BMG Music Publishing, where he was asked to set up the income tracking department from scratch. In 2003, he incorporated Musical Sleuth Ltd, the first independent royalty tracking service of its kind, which counted clients such as Eric Clapton and The Beatles. Having mastered the intricacies of copyright and royalties, Jay was asked to become Director of Music Services at The Discovery Channel in 2009. His success at Discovery led New York entrepreneurs Jingle Punks to bring him in to set up and stabilise their US publishing operation while building their global collection network. Jay currently consults for a range of high-end composers, music libraries, film producers, publishers and tech platforms. In A Guide To Music Publishing And Synchronization, Jay distils three decades on the inside of the business into clear, practical guidance, showing you how publishing, copyright, royalties and sync deals really work - and how to make them work for you. read more
