Now, if this Singer/Songwriter is a member of PRS he would probably be a member of MCPS too, which stands for Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society. This organization acts very similar to PRS, in the sense that they also work on behalf of composers, songwriters and music publishers, but MCPS pays royalties when member’s creations have been manufactured into any format such as audio CD’s digital downloads and any other product which use that specific audio recording as part of a movie soundtrack or the backing music for any video scene. The artist receives a royalty calculated as a percentage of what money is earned from this copyright (typically between 7% and 15% of DPP, dealer purchase price dependant on status of the artist).
PRS (2011) informs “MCPS now sits under the broader brand.”
In addition, he would be receiving royalties from PPL (previously known as Phonographic Performance Limited). PPL (2011) defines itself as: “this is a London-based, not-for-profit company. It is a music licensing company which, on behalf of 45,000 performers and 5,750 record companies, licenses the use of recorded music in the UK for public performance, broadcast and new media use.”
Again, he would get a percentage from tickets on public performances, or agreements on royalties for live shows as well as endorsements for equipment depending of his status as an artist.
As mentioned before, by being a former member of PRS for Music, he would have some benefits. Two main rights, the Economic rights and the Moral rights, would protect his work. PRS (2011) defines this rights as: “The economic rights of a copyright owner are expressed in the Copyright Designs and Patents Act (CDPA) 1988 as a series of 'restricted acts' that only the copyright owner can do or authorise. These are:
• To copy a work
• To distribute copies of a work
• To rent or lend a work
• To perform, show or play a work in public
• To communicate a work to the public (which is any electronic transmission and includes broadcasting)
• To adapt a work (and all the other acts with that new work)
All these rights include the right to do any of these acts with a substantial part of the work; this is assessed qualitatively and therefore can be a very small part of a work if it is distinctive.”
These rights are designed in the best way possible to protect and remunerate the author’s work, and as mentioned before, there are some additional rights known as the Moral rights. PRS (2011) defines this rights as:
“The author of a copyright literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work and the principal director of a film have the following moral rights in relation to their work:
• Paternity right - The right to be identified as the author, such as having his name printed on his work. The right has to be asserted by the author in order to have effect.
• False attribution - A person has the right not to have a work, which they have not created, falsely attributed to him.
• Integrity Right - The author has the right not to have his work subjected to derogatory treatment, he can object to any distortion or mutilation of his work prejudicial to his honour or reputation or of a director.”
Equally important, there exist the music industry associations. In the case of our Singer/Songwriter, there are a couple of organizations that would be appropriate for him to join. The first of them is the Musicians Union (MU); MU (2008) describes itself as: an organization, which represents over 30,000 musicians working in all sectors of the UK music. There is MusicTank as well; MusicTank (2011) describes itself as “a non profit business development network for the UK music industry its purpose; to engage with industry, innovation and change across the music business.” They both give advice and support regarding every aspect of the music industry and what the better choices are in order to become a successful artist and make a living out of the industry. Another good organization for him to look for is the Association of Independent Music (AIM), which is a non-profit trade organisation for independent music companies in the UK. By this association he could get in contact with a lot of independent record labels that could be interested in his music.
As an illustration, would be good to study the same aspects, but from a different individual’s perspective; A four-piece band signed to a record label. Two of the members write the songs, the other two members do no write. This is a case in which the potential income streams are different for half of the band, as two of them would get royalties as songwriters and performers, and the other two would get royalties as performers only. As with the Singer/Songwriter, the two writers in this band would have to be members of PRS for music (PRS and MCPS), and PPL, because they write and perform the work in front of an audience, and if the case is that they have recorded some material, they would also be getting royalties from these recordings as songwriters and performers on the mechanical copies. For the rest two members the case is quite different. Their royalties or revenue payments would come then from PPL, because they would just be getting rewarding as performers who recorded and in a sense change the sound of the work in general. So when they (or someone else) plays their work in front of an audience, or broadcasting of any type, this information gets to PPL and they calculate a percentage of royalties for each one of them.
As the songwriters, the other band members could be getting some income from endorsements, shows, gigs, touring, etc.
Clearly, songwriters always must be members of societies that protect their work due to the immense value of ‘creation’. In this case, the writers should be members of PRS, MCPS, and PPL because they both create, write, record and perform their songs. For the non writing members, they just need to be members of PPL as long as anything they have input into the work count as ‘composing’ or ‘writing’ part of the piece, because then they would become part of the song-writing process, which will confer them with royalties by PRS and MCPS.
Naturally, as a band, they would also would want to be members of the Musicians Union (MU), as this organisation represents people within every sector of the music industry. And of course, the Musicians Union is not the only association that can help them during their development in the music business; there is MusicTank, which is a very powerful tool when it comes to engaging with the industry and updating every change inside the business.
In the same way, we can revise these aspects from the other side of the coin: A record producer that is contracted to a record company. One could say that his potential income stream options are less diverse than of a songwriter but not less profiting. While the songwriter receives royalties from PRS for Music, shows, tours, MCPS, PPL, and so forth. The record producer receives a royalty from the record company, which at the same time receives it from PPL. In addition, he receives his normal percentage previously agreed with the record company for each work he produces. In order to receive this PPL royalty, the record company he works for would need to get registered as a member of PPL, so they can claim a percentage on the work they have done, and then (based on a previous agreement between the record company and the producer) he can claim his royalties for his productions.
As a producer, it would be appropriate for him to join the Music Producers Guild (UK), MPG (2011) describes itself as “an independent and democratic organisation that encourages the highest standards of music production, and actively engages with other music industry organisations to campaign and lobby on matters of important mutual interest. The MPG represents and promotes the interests of all those involved in the production of recorded music, including producers, engineers, mixers, re-mixers, programmers and mastering engineers.”
Further, he should join the Musicians Union as this organisation works for all and everyone within the music industry. It would be advisable for him to study the BPI, due to his relation to the ‘recorded music business’. The BPI (2011) describes itself as “the representative voice of the UK recorded music business. They are a trade organisation funded by members, which include the UK's four major record labels and hundreds of independent music companies”.
Finally, we can analyze the case of a performer that sings, performs someone else’s songs live, and is also a dancer. His income streams would not be as miscellaneous as the ones of the individuals mentioned before, as he does not writes, produces, or contributes to any of the work by his own intellectual property. Basically his earnings would be based on the payment per gig or contract that he agrees with his employer.
As with every human being involved within the music industry, it would be appropriate for the performer to join the Musicians Union, and MusicTank as they both represent musicians working in all the sectors of the business. Moreover, he could join some live event trade associations; to get more gigs due to the fact that most of his income comes from shows he performs in. The two biggest event associations are the NOEA (National Outdoor Events Association), and the PSA (Production Services Association). The NOEA (2011) describes itself as “a National Outdoor Events Association is the UK’s leading outdoor events trade association. The association is dedicated to enhancing professionalism in the outdoor events industry through education, networking, lobbying, advice and creating business opportunities.”
The PSA (2011) describes itself as “a collection of the best live event service companies, technicians and designers. Our members support our work to set, raise and maintain standards in our sector. If you’re organising an event, it’s better to use people that support those standards rather than people that don’t. To find a PSA member to help with your event, from local crew to the full blown production, use the member search tool above”.
In conclusion it is very rewarding to work within the music industry if you are conscious of the mechanism, risks and benefits of the music business. One has to be updated and aware that the world is changing faster than we can imagine, and so does the industry.
Finally, it is good to know about the different roles one can play within the music industry, and by knowing these information one can make a reasonable judgement about which path to choose by thinking on a balance between the more rewarding jobs and the career that makes you happy and satisfied about what you do.
References:
British Broadcasting Corporation (1999) BBC. Available at:
(Accessed: 5 January 2011)
Performing Right Society (2011) PRS. Available at:
(Accessed: 6 January 2011)
Performing Right Society (2011) PRS. Available at:
(Accessed: 4 January 2011)
Phonographic Performance Limited (2011) PPL – What We Do. Available at:
(Accessed: 7 January 2011)
Performing Right Society (2011) PRS – Rights of a Copyright Owner. Available at:
(Accessed: 11 January 2011)
Performing Right Society (2011) PRS – Rights of a Copyright Owner. Available at:
(Accessed: 11 January 2011)
Musicians Union (2008) MU. Available at:
(Accessed: 6 January 2011)
Music Tank (2011) MusicTank - Welcome. Available at:
(Accessed: 6 January 2011)
Music Producers Guild UK (2011) MPG - Home. Available at:
(Accessed: 12 January 2011)
British Phonographic Industry (2011) BPI – About Us. Available at:
(Accessed: 7 January 2011)
National Outdoor Events Association (2011) NOEA. Available at:
(Accessed: 10 January 2011)
Production Services Association (2011) PSA. Available at:
(Accessed: 10 January 2011)
