Why haven’t I been paid?

If you are a registered PPL member and were expecting a payment but haven’t received one, it could be due to one of the following reasons.

Incorrect bank or address details

PPL cannot process payments if your bank or address details are incorrect. Update them in myPPL to ensure you receive your royalties. The money will be held until the details are corrected.

Your account has a negative balance

Your account may have a negative balance for several reasons. Find out more about negative balances. Future royalties will be used to make up the deficit.

Your earnings are below the minimum payment threshold

PPL only makes payments when your account balance exceeds £30 (or £50 for international payments). In December, we lower the threshold to £1 for members with UK bank accounts.

Your recording is invalid

PPL will not pay recording rightsholders if a recording in the PPL Repertoire Database is incorrect or incomplete. It is the recording rightsholder’s responsibility to ensure data accuracy. Performer payments are not affected.

Your performance is not linked to a recording

Performers must be listed as contributors on a recording in the PPL Repertoire Database before they can receive royalties.

Your recording has not been played in public or broadcast

If you believe your recordings have been played but you haven’t been paid, you can raise a query within six months of the distribution date and within three months of an adjustment (where you receive your first payment for a past usage).

Queries made after the deadline may incur a £50 fee, refunded if your query results in earnings over £50. PPL does not accept queries for closed distributions (after 7 years). Payment is not guaranteed if your recording is shown as having had ‘Airplay Reported’ in the PPL Repertoire Database.

This data only indicates that the recording has been played at some point, but it may only be for a very small amount of money or cannot yet be paid because of other factors.

If your recording was heard in a broadcast such as on the radio or on TV, submit a broadcast query by completing the PPL Broadcast Music Usage Investigation Request Form and email it to memberservices@ppluk.com

If your recording was heard in public,  such as in a shop, venue or outdoors at an event, submit a public performance query by completing the PPL Public Performance Small Claims Template and email it to memberservices@ppluk.com

Related FAQs

When will I get paid?

How do I ensure accurate PPL payments?

How is the money distributed between performers and recording rightsholders in the UK?

Still need help?

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