I wrote this article as I'm involved in ensuring I have licenses from clients for their music related masters prior to proceeding with the work. I know it will come as a surprise to many, naturally this was done for the UK market but it must also apply in the USA:
When Companies play music to their workers or use music when placing telephone callers on hold, they require a PRS licence agreement.
If a business includes music in its products or in their telephone on-hold system they need clearance from the owners of the music. They should be aware that penalties exist for non-compliance. This also applies to Wedding Videos, School concerts and events that play music, even as background mood music. In most cases people are simply ignorant of the legal requirements on music licensing and in the main believe that the fact that they have purchased a legal copy of a CD allows them to proceed to use it in some of the ways described earlier.
It's a simple fact that the majority of companies today, small as well as large corporates, banks and building societies etc. use music with the intention of giving their callers something to listen to whilst they are on hold. Others play music during the day to workers in certain production workshops and other environments.
PRS (Performing Right Society) for Music created in Jan 2009 with MCPS (Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society) are the non-profit organization set up to ensure composers, publishers and songwriters are paid the royalties due to them whenever their music is played. This applies to live performances, TV and Radio, CD & DVD Duplication, CD & DVD Replication, in other words, all Duplicators and Replicators require a copy of the licence agreement prior to proceeding with the
Do you need a license to play a local bands CD in your shop? Many thanks in advance, Stacey 
It depends on a number of factors. The best thing is to conct PRS, their website is easy to find. Let me know if you have a problem Regards garlex
Must admit I was unaware of this, and then last week we got a letter through saying there was no registered license at our office and we could liable if caught playing music. Basically written in the same tone as the TV license people, and quoting numerous examples such as listening to an ipod. So even if one of the guys is sat beavering away at his desk with his ipod on, then we become liable for a license. I'm all for copyright protection, and artists getting rewarded, which is why I buy my CD's and DVD's or download from official sites, or pay for concert tickets. I can maybe see the implications maybe if you are a restaurant playing music to your customers, or even hold music for the companies phone. But for someone listening to an iPod? Smacks of yet another stealth tax for the small business to contend with.
I knew about the licence for playing open music but had idea about iPod and simular devices for listening to music............that sucks!
My understanding is that if the music is being used to improve business, then you're liable. So if it's a Christmas CD putting customers in a Christmassy mood, it's enhancing your business and you pay. If it's a thumpy Ministry of Sound compilation providing a background tempo to keep your packing workers pepped up, it's enhancing the business and you pay. If it's chanting Gregorian Monks keeping a stressed-out exec this side of an aneurysm, you pay. They even made an effort to extract money from a small convenience store in Scotland because, after the business decided it couldn't afford the PRS fee and got rid of the radio, one of the shop workers would sing to herself a capella while filling shelves. Happily they were made to back down on that one. VirtuallyMary
The world really has gone beaurocratically mad  If that's not a real word, it should be, and no doubt somewhere there is an investigation department of the made up words division, and a fine is probably already in the post. Luckily being xmas, I won't get it until August...
hmmmm........I don't want to be bothered by this licenses when I play my music. I guess no normal human being does. That is why these licenses are put into the background -- considered a MUST. If what the artists really want is to share music -- then they should say so. In this age, this can be done practically in you garage, bedroom, at home, anywhere. Otherwise if they want the royalties and all -- I believe that every performance live or not should be began or ended with the the rights/license being played. So there, a nice way of preventing music being played illegally. ---man this is becoming a challenge for both parties and in betweens. I'd like to imaging those days that bards play their thing -- not a care about licenses and all -- makes you wonder what the world has come to, eh. |
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