The Ed.
Well-Known Member
The owner of a beauty salon in Plymouth knows only too well the downfalls of playing music in her salon without a PPL (Phonographic Performance Ltd.) license. Facing a possible fine of £2000, the owner of Creations Nails and Beauty is banned from playing music until she has an up-to-date license in place.
It's an easy thing to overlook. People are often unaware that playing music in any place in which a business is run and customers are present requires not one but TWO copyright licenses: a PPL license and a PRS license. While the former covers the copyright of record companies, the latter covers the copyright of artists and publishers. Whatever music you're playing - personal CDs, MP3 players, laptop, radio - it is all covered by copyright and needs to be licensed.
It's getting harder and harder to get away with and it seems as though small businesses are being targeted more and more. PRS and PPL can call you at any time to ask you about the music you play in your salon. They are legally required to tell you where they are calling from but don't be afraid to ask them outright if they haven't been that forthcoming. They often do walk-ins as well and will ask to see your license on the spot. There are horror stories of demands of thousands of pounds of back payments too...these are harder to enforce but can be a headache nonetheless. It's simply not worth trying to dodge these payments.
And don't think you're off scott free if you work from home too. Technically, if you have customers coming into your home for treatments and you are playing music, you are supposed to have a license.
Whether you own a salon or work from home, how much you pay will either depend on the amount of treatment tables you have, or the amount of customers you bring into your home. If you are unsure as to whether you need a license or not then contact PRS or PPL directly. They'll be happy to help you out!
Until then...geek on!
The Ed.
It's an easy thing to overlook. People are often unaware that playing music in any place in which a business is run and customers are present requires not one but TWO copyright licenses: a PPL license and a PRS license. While the former covers the copyright of record companies, the latter covers the copyright of artists and publishers. Whatever music you're playing - personal CDs, MP3 players, laptop, radio - it is all covered by copyright and needs to be licensed.
It's getting harder and harder to get away with and it seems as though small businesses are being targeted more and more. PRS and PPL can call you at any time to ask you about the music you play in your salon. They are legally required to tell you where they are calling from but don't be afraid to ask them outright if they haven't been that forthcoming. They often do walk-ins as well and will ask to see your license on the spot. There are horror stories of demands of thousands of pounds of back payments too...these are harder to enforce but can be a headache nonetheless. It's simply not worth trying to dodge these payments.
And don't think you're off scott free if you work from home too. Technically, if you have customers coming into your home for treatments and you are playing music, you are supposed to have a license.
Whether you own a salon or work from home, how much you pay will either depend on the amount of treatment tables you have, or the amount of customers you bring into your home. If you are unsure as to whether you need a license or not then contact PRS or PPL directly. They'll be happy to help you out!
Until then...geek on!
The Ed.
