Performing Rights Society-Listening to music at work-Help?

[bankhater10]

Hi there, im new-ish to this forum so please be patient with me!
Ok, my question is how much will this cost companies? I work in a relatively small company, we have about 130 workers and our boss took us into our canteen and explained the details about the PRS but seemed to think we would have to pay around £1000 per year??
Can anyone please shed some light on this? It seems rather steep compared to what iv heard??

[livelylad]

This link here will help.

[bankhater10]

Thanks for that!
Does anyone know of any 'loop holes' or ways around this?
Thankyou.

[Ell-enn]

Hi, the only way round it is to remove the music altogether I'm afraid. Our company has just been stung for £2,500 !!! Even if you take the radios/piped music out they will still get you if you have holding music on your phone system or even training videos with music intros !! It's devastating for companies who are struggling to compete with foreign imports and are up against price wars every day. Some workers have such boring jobs that only the radio makes it bearable.

What I'd like to know is how they are going to pay Chopin, Beethoven, Brahmms etc who are dead (don't get me started).

Alternatively, you could ask your workers to use their own MP3 players with earphones, as that is classed as personal use and no-one else can hear it.

Even our local Chinese take-away has to pay as he has a TV in the shop.

[sequenci]

Originally Posted by Ell-enn

What I'd like to know is how they are going to pay Chopin, Beethoven, Brahmms etc who are dead (don't get me started).

I'm not expert but I think royalties expire after a certain period of time, maybe 50 years or so.

[Conniff]

I wonder who is actually doing the broadcasting, the radio station has already paid the fee to broadcast to the public, saying a garage has to pay again is getting the fees twice.

[kennythecelt]

Just received a phone call out of the blue today from PRS and told that we would have to pay for radio in tea room (not provided by employer), and which can not be heard by public and is only on at lunch.

Public seems to constitute more than one person even if they are staff in a private area, remote from the public. If you have a radio, CD player or TV for staff use, then you have to pay.

Only option is to remove it or pay the fee. As Ell-enn said provided staff use their own headphones, that is OK.

I am not sure what the position is with use of PCs for radio, clips etc.

Kwik Fit are/ were involved in a court case. Don't know how this has gone. However, Kwik Fit say they banned the use of radios a long time ago, but never took enforcement action.

I was told by PRS that they have been working through all businesses in UK and there is a lot of debate on other sites about it.

BBC NEWS | Scotland | Edinburgh, East and Fife | Kwik-Fit sued over staff radios

[Ell-enn]

Kenny you have to pay if staff play music through their PC, also if you have videos for training you have to pay for the intro music on them!! Basically you have to pay for any music sound anyone around you can hear

[KJD]

Originally Posted by Ell-enn

Basically you have to pay for any music sound anyone around you can hear

What about talk radio stations? I listen to TalkSport only, through my pc (in a portacabin so not even a digital radio works)?

[Ell-enn]

If they play any music on that station, and anyone else apart from you can hear it for even a nano second - they'll make you pay

[kennythecelt]

Oh dear, looks like I'll have to put up with the Galic choir then.

Think I'll fight back and take in some spoons, comb and grease proof paper, tea box with string and broom handle with a washboard to the side!!

[kennythecelt]

duplicate post

[Ell-enn]

I know Kenny, it's maddening. What they don't realise it that the majority of manufacturing companies and indeed other employers rely on music to help ease the monotony workers can suffer from in repetitive jobs.

Unfortunately, there is usually no budget provision for this new "tax" and companies who are struggling to compete with foreign imports and cost down demands from customers, just can't afford to pay thousands for this licence. Eventually it will result in cuts in the workforce. I hope they're happy with their "windfall" at the expense of redundancies

[WAVE_131]

Quote from the PRS web site

"If you play music in your business or want to include it in your product you need clearance to do so from the owners of that music. PRS and MCPS represent the owners and can get you the clearances you need. We are a not-for-profit organisation, enabling you access to the world's music in the most efficient way"

NOW I AM NO LAWYER AND THIS IS A PERSONAL OPINION...OK?

But it appears from this statement that they act as agents for performers, copyright holders etc.

Perhaps they could be asked to provide details of how they distribute the money they raise.

Why not tell them that you will be using this music and to confirm that the performers / copyright owners will get their cash?

YouTube - Third Reich Military Music- Erika

YouTube - Badenweiler Marsch

Is there a smiley for "Tongue firmly in cheek?"

[WAVE_131]

It appears that the virtual monoply position of the PRS and similar societies is not approved of by the EU.

Check:-
EC wants to provide freedom for the authors from collecting societies | EDRI

Publications - Articles: CISAC squares up to commission's investigation of licensing agreements

The following may be useful:-

"If a music user is forced to pay a licence fee which they consider to be far in excess of the fee hitherto
negotiated or if onerous terms are imposed as a condition of granting the licence there is no other recourse
than applying to the Copyright Tribunal in order to try to lessen the financial obligation or ameliorate the

conditions of the licence" Source:-

http://www.publications.parliament.u...us/245/245.pdf