Whistle while you work?

[oldhasbeen]

We've received a missive from "The Performing Right Society" stating that we need to pay a license fee if we play music by any means at our place of business (even "on hold" music on telephones).

They will be contacting us shortly to discuss our licensing requirements (with special discounts if we apply within 7 days!). If you go on their website, you even have to do your own calculation of how much you must pay them.

I've read something or other about this recently and wondered how on earth this would be policed and how ridiculous it sounded.

Ipods all round and letter in the round filing cabinet?

[leehack]

The good ole PRS, i used to deal with them when i worked at the RAC. Not sure what it costs nowadays it used to be very cheap.

If you are playing it as hold music, then pay them, if its played into a shop or alike then just play the radio as the rights is paid by the radio. Of course you need a tv license to do that though lol.

[dave_finlayson]

Not so sure that is the case anymore. We had them in recently and I'm sure they said Radio is not covered, you do have to pay for it, which frankly, is just a joke!

[Bun]

Would royalty free music be an option?

[parklifeclothes]

We have just got a letter stating that we have to play this royalty fee. It worked out to around £68 for us and although it seems you are paying for nothing, it entitles you to broadcast to the public in your shop and it does seem to make people more relaxed (and hopefully spend more) in our shop at least.
We asked if we had been stitched up but were told they are carrying out a 'blanket' mailing and will start to enforce the law.

Darron

[Bun]

The good ole PRS, i used to deal with them when i worked at the RAC. Not sure what it costs nowadays it used to be very cheap.

If you are playing it as hold music, then pay them, if its played into a shop or alike then just play the radio as the rights is paid by the radio. Of course you need a tv license to do that though lol.

As far as I'm aware you'll need to pay if broadcasting the radio in shop premises.

[party_pete]

You certainly do.

We've tripped up on the phone to the prs already with the, "we only play a radio", line.

£58.75 + VAT quoted.

Had to laugh, as their sales pitch is that they are really there to help you get extra sales :D

[oldhasbeen]

Going by their calculations, we'd pay over 200 squiddlies a year just to have a radio (4 staff).

We don't use hold music as all calls are screened to prevent spam and we only phone back genuine callers.

We're a warehouse and not open to the public so having music would not affect sales.

How does this affect personal CDs that you bring into work (since you've paid your royalty in the purchase price). Presumably if all 4 of us have bought the same CD, no further royalties are payable if we play this at work. But then you'd be scuppered if the postie walked in and "heard" it and didn't own a copy?!! Bonkers.

What about internet radio?

I think we'll just start up our own Barbershop Quartet and entertain ourselves!

[jont]

The other extreme is to get someone to handle it for you - we use http://www.tsgmedia.co.uk/ ... not cheap but it removes the adverts and local DJ's and their provincial "humour"

[Duncan Rounding]

Ridiculously writers and publishers for whom the PRS 'collect' for have to pay for the privilege of receiving a cut of the 'collection' too!

I've never understood why you must pay the PRS if you play a radio in the workplace - ther radio stations are already paying aren't they?

[kathynewman]

My place of business is an office in my home - wonder if I'll have to pay too? If they say I do then I will stop listening to radio 2 online in the office and start putting it on the stereo in the lounge and leaving the office door open!

Kathy

[Bun]

Listening to personal CD/Mini Disc/MP3 players are fine. Broadcasting, whether that be to customers or employees is a different matter.

Radio stations will have to fill out a playlist for each tune they play and pay for it, a cut of that will go to the PRS and the artist. We are paying the PRS for the privilage of broadcasting radio stations in our places of work.

That's how I've always understood it :)

[Bun]

Ridiculously writers and publishers for whom the PRS 'collect' for have to pay for the privilege of receiving a cut of the 'collection' too!

I think they'd refer to that as 'leg work' :)

[completerookie]

tell them to "go whistle" and then check if they have a licence for that !

[oldhasbeen]

tell them to "go whistle" and then check if they have a licence for that !


Interesting point - what if you do whistle a song? Is there a royalty due?

What about humming?

[Bun]

Interesting point - what if you do whistle a song? Is there a royalty due?

What about humming?

Well, if your humming one of your own tunes the PRS will collect royalties for you......just make sure your not humming in front of collegues at work or you'll have to pay a performance cost :)

[Rich-MLandS]

Well I kind of sing or hum, depends really. My collegues do get scared!

[brian.mc]

if its played into a shop or alike then just play the radio as the rights is paid by the radio.
This is no longer the case. If you play copyright music publicly, eg in a shop, you have to have a licence from Performing Rights Society, even if its only in the staffroom!

Music on hold costs from £91 per annum
Background Music in a retail shop from £224 for 200sq metre retail area.
If you only have a portable radio it costs £56.

They have inspectors who go around checking, and they have legal rights to ask to see your licence if they hear music playing. They have quite far reaching powers - almost on the same level as govenrment or local authority inspectors, and you can actually be fined for playing music without a licence!

For more information
http://www.mcps.co.uk/redirect.asp?targetitem=4260&subjectId=118

[leehack]

Its quite sometime since i dealt with them admittedly, however the call centre i setup with 600 incoming lines and 6,000 calls a day only had to pay £79 for their hold music!

Im only talking about 5-6 years ago, the PRS have some high inflation going on. Its easy to get them back anyway, just download a few free tracks each year off the internet and it balances the books lol.

[parklifeclothes]

It seems PRS are not hanging around, we got our letter about a fortnight ago and rang and paid for the licence a week later, got a phone call from them yesterday asking if I played music in the store. Told them we had just paid and now have the licence and they then checked that we were covered. We were told we should now display the PRS sticker in the window.
They're not taking any prisoners!

Darron

[parklifeclothes]

Anybody else getting calls from PPL, it would seem we now require not only a PRS licence but also a PPL licence to have music in the workplace. Thats another £116+

Soon you won't be able to hum a tune without someone chasing for royalties:mad::mad:

[pnagames]

OMG

i never knew this

right, music has been banned in the warehouse. anyone wishes to listen music can bring their own ipod

FFS what else...

[parklifeclothes]

OMG, FFS what else...

A tax on excessive use of acronyms, You, Lee & Tracey would be broke;)

Had a visit from one of their reps so can't deny we have music playing and was handed application form that you basicly have to incriminate yourself by declaring how long ago you started using music (don't know if they calculate back payments too:eek:). All seems very legit, just not well publicised.

[Duncan Rounding]

And they wonder why there is so much piracy. The music heard in the workplace could actually encourage listeners to buy.

[parklifeclothes]

Your acronym usage invoices are ready.

PnaGames posted 720 times using just one acronym per post at 0.06 (Low acronym user tariff) per acronym usage equals £43.12

TraceyHand posted 6993 using an avergae of 3 acronyms per post at £0.04 per acronym usgae equals £839.16

LeeHack posted 11689 times using an average of 5 acronyms per post at £0.03 (High acronym user tariff) per acronym usuage equals £1753.35

Please make all payments within the next 48 hours to:

Rip Off Britain
Popstar House
Mansion Street
Mayfair
London
N0T FA1R

[leehack]

I've got a thesaurus in my sig, leave me out of it.

[Darren B]

Another thing that irritates me about the UK. I have no problem in paying someone for work done but this is typical of legislation did you know in 2007 the PRS made £134m from Public Performance Licences, keeping 6-12% before passing the royalty fee on to the artist.

if i played music in my showroom here it would costs me £136.70 if i play music in the warehouse to 5 staff it would cost £791.28

If the showroom can hear the radio then i need to have both licenses so for a bit of music at work it would cost
£1067.18 including VAT

I am happy to pay this once the PRS tell me how they are going to pass this money onto the artist and how exactly they are going to split it between musician and song writer and then deciding how this is then seperated out to small guy and the big international groups.

Funny i have a feeling that the guy who would probably benefit from it in reallity probably sees very little or nothing of this money.

[Sean Williams]

I just told them I'm far too busy to listen to music and if I did it would be off CD, for which I'd already paid my royalties, and to bu**er off.
After three attempts on their part, it worked and they listed me as something-or-another and no more hassle.
Just for the moment I'm sure ... :(

Clarifacatory Edit: forgot to mention - Joe Public have no access here - it's just playing on the PC.

[Duncan Rounding]

Can you play your own CD in the office then without paying for a public license?
I thought it covered all public broadcasting not just radio.

[Kirk]

We don't have this in the US yet, but I'm sure its coming.

This reminds me of the rumor I heard a few years ago: If you celebrate a birthday in a restaurant, they bring you a small birthday cake and the wait staff sing a kitschy little birthday tune to you. The rumor was Michael Jackson had bought the rights to the song "Happy Birthday" and all the restaurants made up their own songs to keep from paying royalties. :rolleyes:

[grantglendinnin]

The rumor was Michael Jackson had bought the rights to the song "Happy Birthday" and all the restaurants made up their own songs to keep from paying royalties. :rolleyes:
I did wonder why TGI Friday's sing their 'happy birthday' rendition in a ridiculously embarrassing fashion :eek:

So who pays the license for the unit round the back that I occasionally hear, some 200+ yards away?