PPL distributes £47.6 million in Q4 distribution

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PPL distributes £47.6 million in Q4 distribution

  • More than 97,000 performers and recording rightsholders paid
  • International distribution of £17.6 million
  • Fifth annual payment of Copyright Term Extension supplementary remuneration

These monies were collected by PPL for the use of recorded music in the UK and internationally, with £17.6 million of the £47.6 million distribution coming from PPL’s international collections. This December, the international revenue we have distributed originates from a broad range of markets across the world such as France, Romania, South Africa and the USA, amongst others.

Our ability to collect this money is in part down to the breadth of PPL’s international relationships. We now have over 95 international collection agreements in place across Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America. Through these agreements we cover over 90 percent of the global value of both performer and recording rightsholder neighbouring rights markets.

This is also the fifth year that non-featured performers active in the 1960s have received supplementary remuneration administered by PPL, for Copyright Term Extension (see notes below). Over 6,000 performers from the UK and around the world received supplementary remuneration allocations in this distribution.

Peter Leathem, PPL Chief Executive Officer said: “We are happy to end a strong year for PPL by paying over 97,000 performers and recording rightsholders. The landscape for sound recording rights continues to evolve, and we are proud to be driving forward global initiatives that support the flow of monies to music creators around the world.

To end the year on this positive Q4 distribution is a testament to the experience and knowledge within PPL and the effort the company puts in to getting music people paid.”

PPL is part of an ever-growing $2.7 billion sound recording performance rights industry that is hoped to reach three billion dollars by 2025. In 2018, Europe still accounted for 50 percent of global performance rights revenue, with the UK, France and Germany being the largest collectors in the region.

ENDS

For media enquiries, contact David Cohen, PPL Communications and PR Manager, at david.cohen@ppluk.com / 020 7534 1262

What is copyright term extension?

On 1 November 2013, to comply with European law, UK law was changed so that copyright in sound recordings now lasts for 70 years (previously, it was 50 years). This means that record companies and performers can continue to earn income from these recordings during the extra 20 years of copyright. This applies to recordings released from 1963 onwards.

The change in copyright law has enabled PPL core income streams to continue to flow through to recording companies and the whole community of recording artists, orchestral players, session musicians, backing singers and other performers for an additional period of 20 years.

For more information on this, please see Copyright Term Extension

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