Accusations of heavy-handed tactics in applying licensing rules have been rebutted by PRS for Music (PRS, formerly the MCPS-PRS Alliance), the organisation which licenses the use of music for any product or place, and which distributes license income to composers. A number of shop and business owners were reported on the BBC website saying they believe that the PRS has targeted and fined them unfairly for playing music on the radio in their places of work. Speaking to AP, a PRS spokesperson said that the reports were incorrect and that no fines had been levied. “We always want to license fairly and reasonably. We want business to use music because there is clearly a benefit,” she said. The PRS has introduced a new tariff of £44 + VAT per annum for workplaces with up to four workers, in response to “exceptionally difficult trading time at present,” according to Keith Gilbert, PRS’s Managing Director of Public Performance Sales. “[This] will make it possible for small workplaces to use all the music they need whilst ensuring that content creators are fairly compensated.” In addition, the PRS has created a new membership fee of £10 (reduced from £100), “to encourage Britain’s emerging musical talent to join PRS for Music”.
