Music bills put Accrington traders in a spin (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Music bills put Accrington traders in a spin

3:00pm Saturday 4th September 2010 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(12)

INDEPENDENT traders say they can no longer afford to play music following a crackdown by a royalties collecting agency.

Shops, cafes and salons in Warner Street and Abbey Street were handed music licensing bills dating back a number of years this week from a music licensing company traders say they didn’t know existed.

Affected businesses say they pay annual fees of around £140 to the Performing Rights Society, which collects royalties for songwriters and publishers. However inspectors from a separate agency this week doorstepped businesses demanding a second licence is also paid for.

Inspectors were from the PPL, previously known as Phonographic Performance Ltd, which pays royalties to record companies and performers.

Businesses were quoted fees of £65 for radio, or £130 to play CDs. However hairstylists claim they were told to pay for multiple licenses ‘per seat’ while others were given back-dated invoice amounts of up to three years.

Coun Collette McCormack, who owns Warner Street shop J & C McCormack, said the PPL had informed her they were currently targeting the BB5 postcode.

She said: “Many shops, including myself, thought we were covered - there’s a complete lack of information on it. Plus it makes no sense to charge for the same thing twice, the cost is ridiculous for small businesses.

“They are also a private company and not regulated by anyone, which makes it hard for anyone to look into the fairness of it.”

Warner Street cafe owner Liron Asulin said: “We have reached the point where we just can’t afford to pay any more licenses. It’s horrible to be without music in a cafe but it’s a lot of money.

Businesses are struggling right now anyway, it’s very sad so many should be targeted in this way.”

A spokeswoman for the PPL said they were a not-for-profit service: “PPL operates under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 and it is a legal requirement for businesses to have a PPL licence when music is played in public.

“There are many benefits to using music in the workplace, it can increase productivity, improve staff morale and can have significant financial rewards.”

Last month it said it made payments of £840,000 to its member artists.