1. BTEC ExtendeddiplomainCreative Media
Unit 45 Commercial Production for Radio
http://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/production/radio/production-
management/article/art20130702112135229
What is musiccopyright?
Music copyrightislegal protectionforthe contentcreatorsof the musicindustry,itenablesthe
producers,recordingartists,musiciansandothercreatorsto protecttheirworkfrom
beingstolenorusedillegallyandgivesthemthe chance tobe recognisedinthe
industryandgetpaid fortheirwork. Copyrightprotectsoriginal literary,dramatic,
musical andartisticworks.It allows anoriginal worktobe consideredapropertythat
isownedbysomebody. There are twoseparate copyrightsforrecordedmusicwhich
are notalwaysownedorexploitedbythe same personsorparty.The two copyrightsinclude the
compositionitself whichincludethe songsmusicandlyrics,apartfromany particularrecordingof
that composition;thisiscopyrightthatisownedbythe songwriter/publisher.Thenthere isthe
soundrecording,whichisa particularrecordedversionof the musical composition.This isownedby
the recordingartistand/orthe label.Currentlythere isnoofficial waytoregistrationwithinthe
UnitedKingdom,all originalmusicisprotectedfromthe time isrecorded/writtendowninsome
format,waysto prove that youown the copyrightisbysendingthe recordingtoyourself clearly
markingthe envelopesoyouknowwhatmusicit holdsandkeepitsealed,and/oryoucouldstore a
copy withyoursolicitororbankmanager.
How do musicians get paid?
Musicians getpaidin formof royalties;theyare paidtothe artistsfor everytime one of theirsongs
isplayedonthe radio.Paymentisbasedonthe salesof the CDs, Recordsand tapes.Forexample,
whena recordlabel pressesaCD of a song,a mechanical royaltypaymentisdue tothe songwriter.
There are twoorganisationsthatmanage the payments;there isthe PRSformusicand PPL.These
organisationshave the same goal butworkdifferently.Forexample,PRSforMusic’sjobisto look
afterthe song writers,the composers.Tomake sure theymake are protectedandget the money
theydeserve.AsforPPL,theirjobisto lookafterthe people whoactuallyrecordthe music,sothe
labelsandartists.The waytheymake theirmoneyisby the publicpurchasinglicenses,whetherthat
be musicvenues,pubs,restaurantsshopsorjustbroadcastersoverall. Thesetwocorporations
collectthe paymentsanduse itto pay the writersor musicians whose copyrighthasbeenused.
There’s a slidingscale betweenspeechstationsandamusicstation,yesthough a speechstation
doesuse music,justmuchlessso theyenduppayingless.The scale alsotakesinto account of the
size of the station.The biggerand more successful youare,the more you pay
2. What is PRS?
PRS formusicis the home of PRS and MCPS,who are currently
representingthe rightsof over111,000 membersof the UnitedKingdom.
Theirjobis to promote andprotectthe value of copyright;theylicense
membersof the UK and those overseasanddistribute the royaltiesto
artistsfairlyandefficiently. PRS(Whichstandsforthe PerformingRights
Society) wasfoundedforcollectingfeesinlivemusic.PRSformusicalso
have large tariffswith organisations;thisincludesbusinesses,governmentorganisationsand
schools.Thoughitall dependsonthe size andthe extenttowhichtheyare usingthe music.Around
350,000 UK businesseshave paidforalicence fromPRSbut some workplaces
do notrequire,forexample;Medical daycentresandtreatmentareasin
hospitals.There isalsothe organisationknownasPPL whose jobisto look
afterthe people whorecordthe music;So the Label and artists.The difference
betweenPPLandPRSisthat PPL collectsanddistributesmoneyonbehalf of
record companiesandperformers.PRSformusiccollectsmoneyand
distributesonbehalf of songwriters,composersandpublishers.If youplayrecordedmusicormusic
videosinpublic,youwill requireaPPLlicence
Explainthe process ofgaining clearance for musiccopyright
To receive clearance toplayrecordedmusic,youwill needtwolicensesforthe reasonyou wantto
playrecordedmusic.Forexample,PPLlicencesallowtheirlistenerstoplayrecordedmusicand
musicvideosinpublic.PRSforMusicdo somethingsimilarwithhow theycharge businesses,for
example theyhave over40tariffsto ensure suitablechargesare applied,like if theyare charginga
live venue/concertthey’ll pickthe specifictariff forthatvenue; likea“Popularmusic”tariff or a
“Classical Music”.The licencesare appliedforbycontactingPRSfor Music byeitherphone ortheir
website.Youapplyfora radiolicence viaPRSforMusic as all radio stationsmusthave a PRSand
MCPS Licence to be a fullylicensedstation,thisisdue tocopyrightasif theywere notlicencedthey
wouldbe breakingcopyright,whichisknownasinfringementof copyright,thereare manyformsof
a radio licence suchasa commercial radioanda communityradiolicence.
Blanket agreements
Much larger independentproductioncompaniesandbroadcasters,forexamplethe BBC,paya
yearlyfee toPRSfor Music whichallowsthe broadcastertouse any PRS-Managedmusicwithout
needingtoobtainindividuallicenceseverytime musicisbroadcasted.Thisiswhatyouwouldcall a
blanketagreement.If acompanyusesa blanketlicence agreementwithPRSforMusic,thenthey
wouldn’thave topaymusicdirectlyfromthe productionbudget,buttheyare still requiredtofill ina
musiccue sheettoreporton whichsongsare beingused.Some musicwill notbe includedwithinthe
blanketlicence agreement,everyblanketisdifferentintermsof whatmusicit comersand how you
can use the musicinyour programme.
3. Reportingmusic use and what happenedif a broadcaster failsto do this.
Reportingthe musicthatyou playisthe same as payingforit,evenif youhave clearedthe music
throughPRS forMusic or the artistdirectlyyoustill needtoreportitor the artistwill notmake his
money andthiswouldcome undercopyrightinfringementasyou are usingtheirmusicwithout
creditingthemandgivingthemthe moneytheydeserve.Notreportingsongscouldresultinlegal
actionfor copyrightinfringementandmaybe liable topaydamage costs. Thoughoftencreators
don’trealise theyare breakingcopyrightinfringement,andthat’sfine aslongastheyfix their
mistake andreportit thoughsome creatorspurposelymissitoutwhichbreakscopyright.
PR10: Regulation and its impact on content
