This licence covers long-term hospital radio services broadcasting in the UK low-powered AM/FM frequencies or via hardwired (closed circuit or induction loop) services.
If your station broadcasts via low-powered AM/FM, it must also have the appropriate Ofcom licence in place. Please visit Ofcom’s site for more information.
If your station is available both by low-powered AM/FM or hardwire and online, you will need both a Hospital Radio Licence and a PPL Linear Webcast Licence.
If your hospital radio station is only available online, or you simulcast your low-powered AM/FM or hardwire broadcast online you will need a PPL Linear Webcast Licence.
If your hospital radio station broadcasts or simulcasts by way of DAB (including small-scale DAB), you will need to contact us to discuss your licensing requirements – see ‘apply for a licence’ below.
What does the PPL Hospital Radio Licence cover?
This licence gives you permission to broadcast virtually all commercially released recordings on your hospital radio station. It also allows you to copy recorded music tracks onto a database for use in the station’s broadcast. This is known as dubbing.
You also need a PRS for Music licence to broadcast music on your station.
PPL and PRS for Music are two, separate, independent companies. While we both license the use of music and collect royalties for the music industry, we represent different rightsholders and have separate licences, terms and conditions.
PPL collects and distributes money for the use of recorded music on behalf of recording rightsholders (e.g. record companies) and performers. PRS for Music collects and distributes money for the use of music and lyrics on behalf of songwriters, composers and music publishers.
Visit PRS for Music for more information.
Championing music rights for over 90 years
Costs
The annual fees are due at the beginning of each calendar year. They are:
Low-powered AM/FM – £694 (plus VAT)
Hardwire – £185 (plus VAT)
For those stations requiring the right to copy recorded music tracks onto a database (and back-up database) for the purpose of broadcasting (this is known as dubbing), an additional fee will be payable, as follows:
| Database capacity | Dubbing fees |
| Up to 5,000 music tracks | £41 (plus VAT) |
| Up to 6,000 music tracks | £46 (plus VAT) |
| Up to 7,000 music tracks | £51 (plus VAT) |
| Up to 8,000 music tracks | £56 (plus VAT) |
| Up to 9,000 music tracks | £62 (plus VAT) |
As an example, if your hospital radio station broadcasts by way of hardwire and the station has a database with 5,000 music tracks that it uses for the hardwire broadcast, the annual licence fee will be £226 (plus VAT).
If you require more than 9,000 tracks on your database, contact our Licensing team for assistance.
Reporting
We do not request regular reporting from hospital radio stations but may request sample reports detailing the tracks played by the station. We will always give notice if asking for this information.
Contact us about a licence
To apply for a licence for your hospital radio station, please contact us using the form below. We will then be in touch with the next steps to get your PPL licence in place.
Open form
Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory
If you’re broadcasting outside the hospital radio station’s studio premises (for example at an event or in a public place within the hospital), you will need TheMusicLicence. This is supplied by PPL PRS – you can find out more about this Licence here.
Supporting Hospital Radio
We are proud to support the Hospital Broadcasting Association, a national charity that supports and promotes hospital broadcasting in the UK. It provides services, advice and training to the hundreds of stations and thousands of volunteers who give their time and energy to make life better for people in hospital.