PPL records its largest ever quarterly international payment to members

17 October 2017 - Press release

PPL has announced a record quarterly international payment to its members with £18.5 million having been paid out on 29 September 2017.  The figure is up 3 per cent (£600,000) on the previous largest quarterly payment of £17.9 million made in September 2016, with 19,000 performers and 1,500 record companies receiving monies where their recorded music has been played in public overseas.

PPL now has 84 international collection agreements in place across 40 countries, following the signature of a new agreement with the Slovenian performer collective management organisation (“CMO”), IPF. Further agreements are in the pipeline with a number of CMOs as PPL continues to expand its international collections. Notable contributions to this record quarterly distribution were made by CMOs including CONNECT ML (Canada), Playright (Belgium), SIMIM (Belgium), SoundExchange (USA), and Spedidam (France).

In February 2017, PPL announced a record annual international collection of £48.3 million – up almost a third (31.6 per cent) on the £36.7 million collected in 2015.

One of the key drivers for the continued success of PPL’s international collections business is the organisation’s long-standing commercial relationships with other CMOs, working directly with them in order to generate maximum revenue for its members.  These include both independent and major record companies, together with performers ranging from emerging grassroots artists through to established session musicians and influential festival headliners. 

Peter Leathem, Chief Executive said; “Our sustained growth in this area illustrates that PPL is a market leader in the global music rights space. We are setting the bar in the best-in-class service we offer to our members and raising the standards across the industry.  The year ahead will be a very exciting one for us as we continue to invest in innovation, technology and data capabilities to make our operations even more efficient.” 

Laurence Oxenbury, Director of International, PPL said; “This record international payment is testament to the true talent and popularity of the music we represent that is played and listened to by millions around the world. At PPL, we are proud to act as a pipeline for the pounds and pennies to flow back through to the creators who invest so much time, effort and money in bringing us the music we all enjoy.”

PPL member, Jonathan Vears - a Session Musician who has recorded for Imagine Dragons as well as many others – added; “As a session musician who has recorded for world renowned artists, it is vital to have the best support possible in ensuring money flows back to everyone who plays on a specific track or album – after all, it’s an important part of how musicians make a living.  I have no doubt that my international and UK collections are in safe hands with PPL as I’ve seen first-hand the global nature of their work and the lengths they go to help performers. PPL income can make all the difference between playing music for a hobby and having a career as a professional musician. Keep up the good work!”