Music industry professionals have shared strong opposition to PRS’ new tariff for live-streamed events.
The Performing Right Society was founded in 1914, to ‘protect the value of music by licensing music usage, and collecting royalties globally.’ Their roles are to look after the royalties of their members, and ensure that their artists are getting paid. However, this week they launched a new licensing portal for musicians, venues and promoters wanting to host small live-streamed events. This will impose a flat fee on the event, equivalent for a minimum 9% tariff on events that generate less than £500.
As bands are unable to tour in a pandemic, live-streamed shows have provided a valuable source of revenue for the industry. Some shows are viewable on the purchase of a ticket, with some events being streamed for free. Last week, Shame’s Live In The Flesh show at Electric Brixton was available to anyone who purchased their new album. As a result, ‘Drunk Tank Pink’ rose to number 8 on the Official Albums Chart.
Following the announcement, the Music Venue Trust took to Facebook, stating that they had not been consulted on the decision:
“The live music industry, including grassroots music venues, artists and promoters, is in crisis mode and pulling together. The team at MVT have been in regular correspondence with the live team at PRS for Music throughout this crisis on how we can work together to ensure everyone at a grassroots level emerges from this crisis and we can all get back to work. 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.
The principal financial beneficiaries of paid streaming during this crisis have been artists. The beneficiaries of charitable streaming, online broadcasts by artists to raise money for causes by donations from audiences, have included venues, crew, artists, and the wider community, including healthcare worker, food bank and homeless charities.”
Ultimately, the decision would reduce the profit that artists, promoters and venues could obtain from these small scale events. The Music Venue Trust suggests that a fixed tariff for small scale events would not result in grassroots songwriters being paid for their work. Currently, the organisation has made no statement to change or discuss their plans for a new tariff.
