PPL and PRS for Music Joint Community Radio Licence
The licence you need from us is called the PPL and PRS for Music Joint Community Radio Licence – it is supplied by PPL and PRS for Music and administered by us, PPL. It covers the use of recorded music in a community radio station’s AM, FM or small-scale DAB broadcasts and any UK internet simulcasts or additional small-scale DAB simulcasts your station may offer.
This joint licence also enables you to copy music from the PPL and PRS for Music repertoire onto databases and servers for the purposes of providing the broadcast and, if applicable, simulcast. The joint licence will also cover you to play your radio station within the station’s studio premises.
Before you apply to PPL for a licence to use recorded music from PPL and PRS for Music members’ repertoire (this covers most commercially released music) to use in your broadcasts, your station must hold either an Ofcom Community Radio Licence or an Ofcom Community Digital Sound Programme Service (C-DSPS) Licence. For more information, please visit Ofcom’s website.
The joint licence should be purchased by an authorised representative (e.g. a director or station manager) on behalf of the company holding the Ofcom Community Radio Licence or Community DSPS Licence. This should ideally be done at least 14 days before the station starts to broadcast.
PPL and PRS for Music Joint Community Radio Licence Terms & Conditions
If your community radio station is only available online, you may require PPL’s Linear Webcast Licence instead.
Championing music rights for over 90 years
Costs
The licence fees payable under the joint licence are the greater of the minimum fees or a share of your station’s Net Broadcasting Revenue (NBR), which is defined as 85% of your gross broadcasting revenue.
For new community radio stations, it is typically the minimum fees that will be payable. We have provided a couple of examples of the most common broadcast and simulcast methods provided by community radio licensees below to give an indication of the licence fees (exclusive of VAT) that will be payable:
FM and internet simulcast (with up to 200 concurrent streams)
- PPL minimum quarterly fee: £302.10
- PRS minimum quarterly fee: £345.60
- Total minimum quarterly fee: £647.70
- Total minimum annual fee: £2,590.80
FM, small scale DAB simulcast on one multiplex and internet simulcast (with up to 200 concurrent streams)
- PPL minimum quarterly fee: £372.70
- PRS minimum quarterly fee: £345.60
- Total minimum quarterly fee: £718.30
- Total minimum annual fee: £2,873.20
Small scale DAB on one multiplex and internet simulcast (with up to 200 concurrent streams)
- PPL minimum quarterly fee: £302.10
- PRS minimum quarterly fee: £345.60
- Total minimum quarterly fee: £647.70
- Total minimum annual fee: £2,590.80
Once your joint licence application is approved, you will be invoiced for the minimum fees due at the beginning of each calendar quarter and there is the option to make payment of these quarterly invoices in monthly instalments by Direct Debit.
For more details about fees, payment and reporting, please see the joint licence summary
Reporting
Community radio licensees provide an annual report detailing the station’s Net Broadcasting Revenue. You will be sent a reminder each year along with a report for you to fill in.
Licensees will also provide information relating to any Internet Simulcast Service and/or Small-Scale DAB Simulcast Service provided by the station. PPL may also request music usage reporting from community radio licensees.
Apply
You can apply for a licence online here.
Remember: You need to be licensed by Ofcom as a community radio station broadcasting on AM/FM or on small scale DAB before you can apply for the PPL and PRS for Music Joint Licence for Community Radio. For more information, please visit Ofcom’s website.
Once you have purchased your joint licence online, you will receive a copy of your licence agreement and an invoice.
If we need more information from you after you have submitted your licence application, a member of PPL’s Broadcast Licensing team will be in touch within two working days.