CDs, MP3s & Other Recordings

Ready to play music? Great!

Now all we need are some details from you so we can get in touch, set up TheMusicLicence and have you playing music in no time.

PPL PRS Ltd was created to provide customers with a streamlined music licensing service – TheMusicLicence – with a single point of contact to make it easier to legally play and perform music in public. PPL PRS Ltd is equally owned by PPL and PRS for Music.

PPL PRS Ltd started trading in 2018. Prior to 2018, businesses and organisations would have had to purchase two separate licences from PPL and PRS for Music instead.

If you are using music via CDs and other recording in a business or organisation that has employees, customers or visitors to the premises then you will usually need TheMusicLicence.

PPL and PRS for Music do however operate a discretionary policy whereby they do not apply a charge to homeworkers (within a private residence working on their own) or for workplaces with only one worker, where music is not made available to any visitors/customers coming onto the premises.

Purchasing music either digitally on a CD, record or tape etc permits you to listen to it at home for your personal use. However, if this music is played outside your home as a public performance, then you’ll usually need TheMusicLicence.

Even if you are only playing recordings in your business or organisation for employees, you’ll usually need TheMusicLicence.

Music that's played outside of a domestic environment is classed as a public performance, even if the music can only be heard by employees in the workplace, canteen or staff areas.

TheMusicLicence gives you permission to play music in your business or organisation for your employees.

If you're unsure about whether you need a licence, please contact us.

Speak to our friendly team today

0800 051 6833

(8am–6pm, Monday–Friday)

Not only do PPL and PRS for Music represent millions of musical compositions and recordings from UK artists and music creators. They also represent international artists and music creators through over 100 affiliated societies, that all operate under reciprocal agreements, in over 150 different countries around the world.

The royalties collected are passed to the relevant overseas society who will in turn pay the artists and music creators. So, if the international music is covered by a reciprocal agreement, you will require TheMusicLicence.

You can use the PPL and PRS for Music repertoire searches to see what music is covered.

Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, permission is needed from the relevant copyright holders – those who create, record and publish music – in order to play or perform music in public.

Broadly speaking, this includes any presentation of music outside of a domestic setting. For example, it will include using music in the following ways as part of your business or organisation (for the benefit of customers and/or employees): playing recorded music via any device including the CDs, MP3, vinyl, tape and other records; showing TV broadcasts or other audio-visual content containing music; or putting on live performances of music.

There are a range of tariffs to cover the different uses of music across various venue types. However, the use of this music will usually require permission from the copyright holders and TheMusicLicence will give you that permission, covering the vast majority of commercially released music.

It's your responsibility to ensure that you are properly licensed for any music use taking place in your business or organisation.

Playing music without the appropriate licence could amount to copyright infringement.

When taking out TheMusicLicence from PPL PRS, your rights and obligations are set out in our Terms & Conditions, including your obligation to pay a royalty and to provide us with information required under the applicable tariff to assist us in calculating that royalty.

If any payments under the licence become overdue, we will contact you by post, email or telephone. If appropriate, we may refer the account to our enforcement team or a debt collection agency. In some cases we may even terminate your licence, which may then lead to legal action for copyright infringement.

More information is available in our Terms & Conditions.