EXPERT ADVICE


are simple to understand and can be accessed at www.pplprs.co.uk/ how-is-the-cost-calculated. It works on a tiered system


according to the size of your business. The starting base for a PPL licence is for an audible area of between 1-600sq m at £138 and for PRS, it starts from 0-100sq m, which costs £168. For a small business at the lower end of the scale, you can expect to pay around £300 for both. If you are a larger business with a head office or warehouse/ distribution centre, there are different pricing tariffs for these work environments. Again, these can be accessed at the website above.


Music in Retail: your questions answered


Issues surrounding the use of music in retail environments can prove a minefield for some independent businesses. DIY Week put the questions we’ve had from retailers to The Amazing Media Group business development manager Grant Thompson to provide further insight and bust any myths.


Who is PPL PRS Ltd? The PRS and PPL used to operate independently and retailers used to have calls from each of them abut licences but, about 18 months ago, they joined together to try and remove confusion around separate music licences and now come under the banner The Music Licence. Technically, you are still paying two


for licences because the


PPL represents performers and record companies, whilst PRS for Music is a society of songwriters, composers and music publishers.


18 DIY WEEK 14 DECEMBER 2018


Both organisations ensure that the creators and performers of music are paid when their music is used in public.


Does every business need the licence? If you’re doing a public performance of music that can be heard by members of the public – whether that


is playing music via your


phone, tablet, portable radio or CD player, etc – you need a licence. This also applies to larger retailers that have head offices and warehouses.


How much will it cost me? There are ratecards for both the PPL and PRS to calculate how much you will have to pay. They


I was told ,if premises are less than 2,000sq ft, there’s no fee. Is this correct? There are some concessions or discounts


for premises under a


certain size but you are not exempt. If you are playing PRS/PPL registered music of any kind and a member of the public can hear it, you need a licence.


If I play the radio or music after hours when the shop is closed and I am totting up the day’s takings, do I need a licence? If you are in a situation where a member of the public can hear the music, then yes you do. However, if a retailer has shut up the shop and aren’t trading, so no one is going to hear the radio or music, you are not seen as performing that music to the public, therefore, you don’t need to pay. It’s a grey area and the PPL PRS will always take the view that, if a member of the public could hear, you would need a licence. But they would have to prove that and I think it is unlikely that anyone is going to get prosecuted for listening to the radio out of hours in their back office.


I only use my radio for the news or Radio 5Live/Talk Sport.


Is


that covered? News programmes/channels use more music than people realise, such as opening and closing titles and music beds under reports. In addition, there may be music used within the sound bed of a commercial break, which contain music written by PPL/PRS members. According to PRS, all broadcast news channels it is aware of contain copyright music content, which means a licence is required.


How is the use of music in retail monitored? What if I don’t have a licence? The PPL PRS can be quite aggressive in pursuit of people and it has a hard-and-fast rule that, if you are a business playing music, you need to get licence from the organisation. It does send people round to do spot checks and it does warn that if you are caught, you will be fined. Businesses have been taken to court but these are usually high- profile chains. You could face a fine but, the likelihood is, that you will


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