PRS: Performing Rights Society
So, if you live in the UK, and you want to perform live to an audience streaming, the PRS wants you to pay them a fee...
https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...treamed-events
So if you live in the UK, perform for a living and trying to make a little revenue during covid, the PRS guy wants a chunk of itIn December, the PRS proposed a tariff of between 8% and 17% gross revenues for live-streamed events, a marked increase on its usual 4.2% gross takings from in-person gigs. This would be retrospectively applied to live streams that took place earlier in the year. An open letter from the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) and the Music Managers Forum (MMF), its signatories including representatives for Lipa, Liam Gallagher and Arctic Monkeys, urged them to reconsider.
The PRS has now implemented those tariffs and announced a new flat fee for live-streamed shows that generate less than £500 gross. Event organisers of shows taking up to £250 will pay the PRS £22.50 plus VAT, regardless of whether takings surpass that figure. The fee doubles for shows grossing between £251 and £500.
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A PRS spokesperson said it was not “seeking to prevent artists, many of whom are PRS members, from generating an income from online concerts”, but to ensure that non-performing members such as songwriters and composers “can share in the value being generated by online live concerts which are using their works”
Flat fee + up to 17% of profit + VAT (that's 20% tax on top)
As if the situation wasn't absolute worse at the moment already. This sets a dangerous precedent imho, and the PRS are notorious for previous other situations where they were described as money grabbing bullies.
About 10 years ago they tried that exact very same little stunt on Youtube. As it panned out, Youtube was utterly and completely unfazed, they simply muted the UK sound for a week, and the whole of the UK asked what the hell is going on. The PRS came back on their knees begging to have the sound back on, said sorry and dropped all monetary demands. So now instead of going for the google/youtube behemoth, they go after the artist.
In response to the PRS’s announcement, the Mill in Bradford has cancelled its remaining IVW shows, which were due to raise money for charity.
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“We’ve had crew working for free to support musicians, or artists working for free to support venues. There’s been huge moral support and people rallying to help each other. They’re doing it to stay alive and the rug’s been pulled out from under that.”
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