12 August 2008
Thousands of hairdressers could be breaking copyright law
The Performing Right Society (PRS) is writing to thousands of hairdressers to make them aware of the consequences of, and possible legal action that could result from, breaking UK Copyright law by playing music without a licence.
The law ensures that the UK’s 60,000 songwriters and composers that PRS represents - who are small businesses themselves - receive royalties for the use of their work.
PRS aims to ensure that all hairdressers that play music in public – either to customers or employees – understand that permission to do so is needed from the writers and composers of that music.
Music provides a clear business benefit: it improves staff morale and productivity, enhances atmosphere and influences customer behavior.
Keith Gilbert, Managing Director, PRS Public Performance Sales, says: ‘PRS is a vital source of income to the creators of music, 90% of whom earn less than £5,000 a year in royalties. We are writing to hairdressers to raise awareness of the value of music to their business and of the need to buy a PRS licence which reimburses those who created that music.
‘Around 28,000 hairdressers are acting within the law and already have a PRS music licence. But, often unknowingly, many thousands more are not, and we want those companies to be aware that they need to adhere to UK copyright law and to buy a PRS Music Licence.
We estimate there’s another 20,000 hairdressers in the UK without a PRS Music Licence who could be breaking copyright law.’
A PRS music licence starts from just £66 a year. It gives businesses permission to play over 10 million pieces of music – from pop to classical and every style and genre in between – to customers or staff and in all formats including radio, TV, CD, MP3 and including telephone ‘on-hold’ systems. PRS licences are tailored according to the size of business and the format from which music is being played.
Hairdressers can call 0800 068 48 28 for advice on when they need a PRS music licence or visit www.prs.co.uk
-Ends-
Press Contact:
PRS, Catherine George, 020 7306 4229
Votive Communications, Vaughan Andrewartha, 020 7353 9277
Notes to editors:
COPYRIGHT AND THE LAW
Internationally, copyright is governed by the Berne Convention, which was first accepted in Berne, Switzerland, in 1886.
The right to earn from the creative process has been enshrined in UK common law since the 1709 Copyright Act and has been re-inforced by subsequent governments.
Copyright became statutory law in the UK with the passing of the 1911 Copyright Act. This act was revised in 1957 and 1988. This latest, the 1988 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, is the current act governing copyright in the UK (under which PRS operates).
Copyright law in the UK gives the creators of literary, dramatic, musical, artistic works, sound recordings, broadcasts, films and typographical arrangements of published editions, rights to control the ways in which their material may be used.
The rights cover: broadcast and public performance, copying, adapting, issuing, renting and lending copies to the public.
PRS – the Performing Right Society - was formed in 1914 as a response to the 1911 Copyright Act, by a group of composers and music publishers. The remit of PRS as a not-for-profit membership society is to grant permissions to businesses to publicly perform the musical works owned by its members (and those of members of affiliated societies overseas) and to pay them the resulting royalties, less an administrative cost (Average MCPS-PRS Alliance admin cost 2007: 10.9%).
Organisations like PRS exist in every country in the developed world. Without them, anyone wishing to perform music in any way in their business would require the permission of every songwriter, composer and music publisher who had an interest in any of the musical works they wished to perform. Thus the administrative simplicity of the collective blanket licence is as relevant today as it has ever been.
WHO NEEDS A LICENCE?
In general, anyone playing music in a business environment requires a licence from PRS in order to do so. (A PRS licence is not required for domestic use of music). PRS does not charge (in accordance with the 1988 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act) for music used as part of the school curriculum.
At its discretion, PRS chooses not to charge for music use in the following business environments:
- patient and treatment areas in hospitals
- divine worship
- civil wedding ceremonies and partnership ceremonies
- residential (care) homes in most circumstances
- lone and home workers