Robert Fripp and The Jesus And Mary Chain lead artists suing PRS over songwriter royalties

nme.com:

Robert Fripp and The Jesus And Mary Chain‘s Jim and William Reid are among a host of artists who have launched a lawsuit against the PRS over songwriter royalties.The case is centred around how the organisation handles royalties from live performances, with the artists accusing the PRS of levying high administration costs for smaller songwriters while giving preferential treatment to bigger acts.The group of songwriters have joined forces with PACE Rights Management, a global operation that covers direct licensing of live public performance rights (the right to publicly perform a composer’s music and/or lyrics by way of live performance), in the case.The group are also pushing for the right of music writers and publishers to efficiently direct license their live public performance rights, without having to go through the PRS.Direct licensing would allow writers and publishers to benefit from fewer deductions from their royalty income, faster royalty payments and greater transparency throughout the process, they claim.

They also argue that the PRS is deliberately withholding information from its members about the deductions from their royalty income when their rights are licensed internationally via the organisation.In a statement, the group said: “Regretfully, after years of PRS refusing to discuss or constructively engage with these issues – including the withdrawal of Live Performance rights, the lack of transparency around international deductions, and the operation of the Major Live Concert Service – we have been left with no option but to seek redress through the courts.“The ball is now firmly in PRS’s court.