The row over British collecting society PRS for Music’s new livestreams licence continues, with the Music Venue Trust weighing in with a statement offering strong criticism of the society’s approach. It refers to its work with PRS for Music on Covid-19 relief last year.
“At no time during those regular conversations across 8 months has anybody suggested that a new tariff for streaming would be created. We have not been consulted on such a Tariff, advised of it, or even notified of it prior to this press release being issued,” claimed the MVT. “It is unclear from their press statement whether PRS for Music wishes to reduce the financial returns for artists seeking to pay themselves or on artists trying to support charities. We would strongly suggest that neither should have been advanced to the stage of an announcement of a Tariff without understanding the most basic fundamental economics of what streaming is actually doing during this crisis; how much money there is, where it comes from and who is receiving it.”
The statement stresses that making sure songwriters are paid for their songs being performed in livestreams IS important, but that: “A fixed rate tariff is not a mechanism by which that will be achieved, and the methodology and rate proposed by PRS for Music will not result in grassroots songwriters being paid for their work.”
Image by I_#39_m friday / Shutterstock.com
Music Ally’s next Learn Live webinar will help you build the strategies for artists to thrive in new international markets!