‘You could go for years without knowing you can earn a penny’: Kojey Radical on songwriter royalties

12 December 2025 - Press release

Exclusive recording of 101 Part Time Jobs podcast with BRIT, Ivor Novello and Mercury Prize-nominated Kojey Radical out now.

 

The launch of the Livelihood campaign from PRS for Music highlights the crucial need for greater education  around live performance royalties. An exclusive podcast recording of the 101 Part Time Jobs podcast, BRIT, Ivor Novello and Mercury Prize-nominated Kojey Radical spoke candidly about the gaps in knowledge that exists around royalties amongst emerging artists. 

This year, PRS for Music has paid out more than £80 million in royalties from live shows, underscoring the importance of live royalties in sustaining a career and encouraging future creativity.

Recorded at 93 Feet East in London’s Shoreditch, the room was filled with PRS members, industry stakeholders, record labels and music managers. Radical discussed the realities of building a career in music, from his first PRS royalty payment cheque to finding his place in the industry.

BRIT, Ivor Novello and Mercury Prize-nominated Kojey Radical, said: “You could go for years without knowing you could earn a penny from PRS…It [PRS] kept me afloat, during times where there wasn’t any money coming in from music… It’s almost like silent money.

Music royalties develop from a chain of connected actions: the creation of the lyrics and melody, the songs performance on stage, the licensing of the venue, timely payment of invoices, submission of setlists, and finally, the distribution of royalties to music creators. Every step in that process is essential, because each link in the chain sustains the songwriters behind the music.

Listen to 101 Part Time Jobs podcast here or watch on Spotify.