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What does
MCPS do?
The essential
function of MCPS is to collect and distribute royalties.
It acts on behalf of its members by negotiating agreements
with those who wish to record and distribute product containing
copyright musical works and collecting licence fees for this
use. The money is subsequently distributed to its members
as mechanical royalties.
MCPS
is known as a collecting society because its main role is
collecting money from music users in the UK who record music
into TV and radio programmes, websites, feature films, CDs,
records, and so on. MCPS collects royalties by issuing
licences to music users in respect of the mechanical copyright
in musical works. Details of the music used are supplied to
MCPS by the licensees. This information, when matched to the
detailed work information held on the MCPS databases, enables
the payment of royalties to the writers and publishers of
the music used. MCPS is a not for profit organisation
which is funded by the commission it levies on the licence
revenue it receives.
For more
infomation go here.
What does
PRS do?
The PRS
collects and distributes licence fees for the public performance
and broadcast of musical works. The MCPS collects and distributes
'mechanical' royalties generated from the recording of music
onto many different formats. This income is distributed to
their members - writers and publishers of music.
PRS
is known as a ‘collecting society’ because its primary role
is collecting royalties from music users in the UK who every
day publicly perform, broadcast and include music in cable
production services. PRS also collects royalties from
around the world for its members through reciprocal agreements
with collecting societies overseas. PRS collects the
royalties by issuing a licence to the music user (usually
charged on an annual basis). In order to then make royalty
payments to its members, PRS needs to know what music
is being played. Major users, such as the BBC and large concert
venues, give PRS detailed reports of the music they
play. For many other venues including commercial discos, clubs
and pubs, PRS sends researchers to obtain first hand
information. With an estimated 8 billion public performances
in the UK every year it is not possible to track every one.
To pay out these royalties, statistical methods are used based
on actual performance information. PRS is a non-profit
making organisation. Having recovered its running costs it
pays all the remaining money collected to the members identified,
both UK and overseas.
Information
reproduced by kind permission of the MCPS-PRS
Alliance
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