PPL PRS Music Licence - legal advice please

[MissBling]

I have received letters emails and voicemails from PPL PRS Ltd stating I require a licence for playing music in my bridal shop. As the information was incorrect I was a bit wary whether this was a legitimate company so I decided to Google them. To my surprise I found hundreds and hundreds of horrendous negative reviews about the company and their underhand tactics. It seems they are targeting small businesses and those that have responded and contacted them to say they don’t play music and explained why and their business practices they have still continued to demand payment, double the invoice total and threatened bailiffs etc. many businesses in these reviews have said whatever you do don’t communicate with them as they will hound you even more to the extent that some businesses have suffered with mental health due to the worry of how to deal with this when they genuinely do not require the licence, it seems this company will not take no for an answer and will not back down.

After reading all this I have not responded but am losing sleep over it and really don’t know what to do for the best. My business is a bridal shop I work solely on my own and by appointment. I dont play music to the public when I have a customer it is by appointment it’s a 1:1 consultation or a bride and her bridesmaids having bridal fittings so I do not play the radio or music or tv or anything when I am dealing with customers. I am scared to respond with this after what I’ve read they’ve already sent an invoice for £400 and I have now received another invoice for £800!

I would really appreciate feedback from businesses who have had similar issues with this and how they dealt with it.

If there was any solicitors on here that could offer some legal advice on how I should respond to them and deal with this I would very much appreciate this. I am a small business that is struggling like everyone else with overheads and price increases so this added pressure and stress is just not needed so I would like to resolve it.

Thank you In advance.

 

[Mark T Jones]

No need to get stressed

Either respond stating that you don't play music, or ignore until they go legal, then your defence is you assumed it was a scam, since you don't play music.

That's it really

 

[Socio South West]

This started several years ago. The early threats were sufficiently strong that I took the matter to Trading Standards in Dorchester, and a pattern was established across the country which ended up being handled by (I think) Westminster Trading Standards.

If you don't play music in your workplace then you have no need to pay: Tell them the facts of the matter, and they should go away. If they don't refer them to Trading Standards.

 

[MissBling]

Oh really! Thank you for your reply and advice much appreciated.

 

[Gyumri]

PPL PRS Ltd doesn't seem like the same as Phonographic Performance Ltd which is the official music licensing body in the UK. I haven't searched at companies house to see who is behind the Leicester outfit - but it cannot be Ronnie Biggs.

Phonographic Performance Limited - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Scalloway]

PRS for Music and PPL, the UK’s two music collecting societies, joined forces to set up PPL PRS Ltd, a joint venture combining the two societies’ public performance licensing activities. You now make one payment and it is divided up between the two separate bodies.

PPL and PRS for Music

PRS for Music and PPL are separate organisations who license different sets of rights in the use of music. You may need a licence from both organisations.

www.prsformusic.com

 

[NicoJ]

You say you don't play music when you have an appointment but do you ever have music playing in the business premises so others could hear it - say if they walked in or if they called to make an appointment? If you do, then you will require a licence.

They may be trying it on, or they may have cold called the shop and heard music.

 

[NicoJ]

PPL PRS Ltd doesn't seem like the same as Phonographic Performance Ltd which is the official music licensing body in the UK. I haven't searched at companies house to see who is behind the Leicester outfit - but it cannot be Ronnie Biggs.

Phonographic Performance Limited - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

As @Scalloway notes this is genuine - its Phonographic Performance Ltd and Performing Rights Society. You used to need two licences for certain venues so they merged to try to make it simpler.

 

[MissBling]

No they can’t have heard music played it sounds like they just contact companies adhoc presuming they do from what I’ve read from all the hundreds of reviews.

 

[Gyumri]

If a shop plays popular music to create an atmosphere for sales then the licence fee is £199 per year or 54p per day.

You receive a nice shiny licence sticker to display on your shop window but in the OP's case she doesn't play music when customers come in and no licence is needed to listen to music privately.

It's always possible to pay a pianist to record some nice Beethoven on a CD or a Wedding March and then there is nothing to worry about.

 

[MissBling]

I have musicians in the family who have their own cd’s and local wedding singers and musicians cd’s so I can play them if I wanted to.
I’m not sure what you mean by £199 a year and a sticker in the window can you explain more please? as the invoice they have sent me is £399 plus vat and now they have doubled it.

 

[Gyumri]

That's the annual licence fee according to their website. In your case you will of course deny that you are playing widely available music in the shop - put it in writing.

I wouldn't start to ask "what's the £400 for?" Except to say that you understand the need for a licence but in your case you are not required to obtain one because you don't play background music in your shop.

The sticker for the window is to notionally tell others that you have a music licence but nobody bothers to display them.

 

[MissBling]

Thank you for your help much appreciated.

 

[kulture]

If you do want to listen to music when no-one is in, wear headphones. That way no-one else can hear.

 

[Mark T Jones]

No they can’t have heard music played it sounds like they just contact companies adhoc presuming they do from what I’ve read from all the hundreds of reviews.

In theory they call (phone or actually visit) to witness whether they hear music being played.

They called me recently, I had a radio playing in the background (as I usually do), they identified the actual track that was being played. In my case they backed down instantly when I pointed out I was working from home (apparently this is a grey area, but they had no wish to pursue it)

In your case though, it's a clear case of no music = no fee. It's difficult to 'prove' that you never play music, but it's their job to prove that you do.

 

[MissBling]

In theory they call (phone or actually visit) to witness whether they hear music being played.

They called me recently, I had a radio playing in the background (as I usually do), they identified the actual track that was being played. In my case they backed down instantly when I pointed out I was working from home (apparently this is a grey area, but they had no wish to pursue it)

In your case though, it's a clear case of no music = no fee. It's difficult to 'prove' that you never play music, but it's their job to prove that you do.

 

[MissBling]

Thank for your this.