What does VPL do?
VPL plays a vital role in ensuring that music video rightsholders are fairly rewarded when their work is used in public or on television. VPL’s main activities are:
- Enabling TV and online services to use music videos in their programmes, promotions, and channels showing back-to-back music videos.
- Licensing music videos for public spaces, such as gyms, shops and offices.
- Managing a vast archive of music videos and making them available for licensed use.
After deducting operating costs, the licence fees collected by VPL are distributed to music video rightsholder members.
Payment dates
Our major distribution for VPL royalties is made in June, with an additional payment in September for independent labels from MTV programming. VPL’s payment dates for 2025 are:
- 17 June 2025 – main distribution to music video rightsholder members
- 30 September – payment for independent rightsholders for MTV and other channels owned by Paramount across Europe, the Middle East and Africa
- 17 December – VPL adjustments and MTV adjustments
How to register
It’s free to register as a video rightsholder. Click join myPPL and select the ‘register as a recording rightsholder’, then select ‘I want to register my music videos only’.
If you’re already a member and want to create a rightsholder video account, log in to your myPPL account and select the ‘Accounts’ tab, then ‘Registrations’, where you can add another registration to your account.
For businesses playing music videos in public, such as gyms or nightclubs, licensing is handled through TheMusicLicence. This is managed by PPL PRS Ltd, a joint venture between PPL and PRS for Music.
If you’re playing music videos or music in your business, you need TheMusicLicence.
Purchasing music videos
To purchase a music video to broadcast or show in a venue, visit the PPL Video Store. This is one of the largest music video archives in Europe, containing over 50,000 music videos dating back to 1961.
Visit the PPL Video Store to register and start searching.
Music videos from the archive are available, for a fee, to registered users who wish to broadcast them or play them in public. Users must have the appropriate licence in place for such music video use, in order to use the PPL Video Store.
More information can be found on our broadcasting music and music videos on TV and online services page.
Search the VPL repertoire database
The VPL repertoire search facility can be used to search for music video information, including the name of the rightsholder.
Visit the VPL repertoire search
VPL Board
The VPL Board oversees all aspects of VPL’s music video licensing business. Its directors include representatives from both major and independent rightsholders. Due to differences in how copyright law applies to music videos, the VPL Board does not have performer directors.
Representatives from AIM (Association of Independent Music) and the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) also attend meetings.
VPL Board Members
- Charlotte Saxe (Chair)
Warner Music UK - Alison Wenham OBE (Director)
Chrysalis Group - Shamus Damani (Director)
Defected Records - Helen Deakin
Polydor, Universal Music - Rob Gruschke
Beggars Group Ltd
- Peter Leathem OBE
PPL
- Adrian Sear
Demon Music Group
- Michael Smith
Sony Music Entertainment UK Ltd
VPL Board Attendees
- Gee Davy -AIM
- Kiaron Whitehead – BPI
The VPL Board is supported by a Finance & Audit Committee and a Distribution Committee, which include a range of industry experts. The VPL Board is accountable to members at the VPL AGM, where eligible members can vote on key issues and elect directors. Any VPL member may nominate candidates for the board.
Although VPL operates as a separate company, its day-to-day activities are managed by PPL staff.
Distribution rules
VPL’s UK distributions operate according to the VPL Distribution Rules, approved by the VPL Board.
Reports and statements
VPL publishes a range of reports each year that cover our operations, financial performance and commitment to equity and transparency.
Visit our archive of reports and statements
Articles of Association
These are the main constitutional documents of VPL. The set out our formal membership requirements, VPL board structure and the rules governing general meetings.