Music Licence

[Susan]

Our club would like to perform a show at Christmas time and we have recently been advised that we may need to have two licences for this;

PRS (Performing Right Society), to enable royalties to be paid to the copyright owners; and
PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited), to enable use to replay these sound recordings
Please can anyone help with advise on whether these are required and how much does it cost?

Also, how are we covered when playing music for floor exercises at competitions? Or does BG provide this cover with our membership?

Any information to help understand this licence issue would be much appreciated.

[Vivien Gourlay]

This is a very good question and some years ago I tried to find out exactly how everyone stood on this within the Scottish Association. It used to be that our BGA membership covered us for PPL license but then some information got out that we were no longer covered.

I still have my doubts but find it very difficult to get a definitive answer regarding this from either SGA or BGA. I hope with this question being placed on the forum that someone in the know will actually tell us.

There is however extensive information on the PPL stuff on the web if you go to Ask Jeeves or Google and put in Public Performance License. If I remember correctly it tells us to go to our Governing Body for information regarding gymnastics.

If an event is being held in a Sports Centre, I believe that Sports Centres are already covered in this respect but there again I could be wrong.

Good luck,

[Vivien Gourlay]

BACKGROUND MUSIC - GYMNASTICS CLUBShttp://www.ppluk.com/icons/ecblank.gifA PPL Tariff for the public use of Sound Recordings. Effective from: 1-Sep-2004 to: 31-Aug-2005
http://www.ppluk.com/icons/ecblank.gifThis tariff is for Gymnastics clubs when sound recordings are played as an accompaniment to Gymnastics sessions. Individual Gymnastics instructors requiring a licence are also charged under this tariff.

If specially produced compilations are required for the displays, then you must contact the British Amateur Gymnastics Association for further advice.

Background music is the playing of recorded music to create an atmosphere or ambience that is not a special feature of, or essential to, the main event or is not essential to the operation of a premises.

Fees: FLAT FEE: £85.63 per annum per club or instructor.
http://www.ppluk.com/icons/ecblank.gifExplanatory Notes: You should provide the date you started playing recorded music to enable us to calculate the start period for your licence.

Background music can be played from different types of machines, such as juke boxes, CD players, cassette decks and mini hi-fi systems. It is possible to rent these machines and even the recordings themselves, from companies that are licensed by PPL. When the music system or recordings are hired for the playing of background music, it is PPL's policy to issue a licence to the supplier rather than the user. Therefore, if your background music is played using a hired machine or hired recordings, it is important that you give us the details of the supplier. This will ensure that PPL issues the right licence to the right person.

By entering the date of installation of the machine or recordings, again you can help us ensure that the correct licence is issued.

A flat rate charge is a fee that takes into account the way that sound recordings are used at your premises. The fee ensures that you are not required to provide a complicated set of answers about your business. No matter how much or how little you play recordings, under these tariffs you will only have to pay a flat fee for your licence.http://www.ppluk.com/ppl/ppl_lc.nsf/files/returnToBusAct.gif/$FILE/returnToBusAct.gif (javascript:history.go(-1);)