Founded in 1934, PPL is the UK music industry’s collective management organisation (CMO) for performers and recording rightsholders. We licence recorded music in the UK when it is played in public (bars, nightclubs, shops, offices etc.) or broadcast (BBC, commercial radio, commercial TV etc.) and work to ensure that revenue flows back to our members. These include both independent and major record companies, together with performers ranging from emerging grassroots artists through to established session musicians and globally renowned artists.
PPL’s public performance licensing is carried out on PPL’s behalf by PPL PRS Ltd, the joint venture between PPL and PRS for Music.
Through a network of agreements with other CMOs around the world, we also collect performance rights internationally when music is played overseas in public and used on TV, radio, and some online streaming services, as well as for private copying. International royalties are an increasingly important revenue stream for performers and recording rightsholders.
In 2022, in total, we collected £272.6 million across all of our revenue streams, marking the highest level of revenue in the company’s 89-year history, and distributed money to more than 165,000 performers and recording rightsholders.