Collection and Licencing Societies

Collection Societies

Collection societies are organizations that manage the rights of their member composers, songwriters, and publishers.
These organisations collect licensing fees, or royalties, from users of copyrighted music on behalf of the rights owners.
In the UK, the collection society for songwriters and composers is known as PRS for Music (Performing Right Society).
For record companies and performing artists, the collection society is PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited).
Members of these societies retain the copyright in their work but grant the society the right to license their music and collect royalties on their behalf.

Licensing societies provide permissions for music to be used in a variety of ways, securing the legal usage while protecting the rights of the creators.
The main role of a licensing society is to issue licenses to businesses and organisations, allowing them to play, perform, or broadcast music.
The money collected for these licenses is then distributed to the respective copyright holders.

Both collection and licensing societies play a key role in ensuring that rights holders are paid for the use of their music.
The societies ensure that copyright law is adhered to, preventing illegal usage and distribution of copyrighted music.
Without these organizations, rights holders would have to individually track and collect royalties for their music—a daunting task considering the global and digital nature of the music industry.
Therefore, these societies are crucial in protecting the rights of creators and ensuring that they are adequately compensated for their work.