PPL expands reach to India

UK music licensing organisation PPL has announced the signing of a landmark deal with the Indian Singers’ and Musicians’ Rights Association (ISAMRA) which means PPL can now collect royalties on behalf of performers in India. Indian performers will also receive payment for the use of their recorded music in the UK. 

The new partnership means that PPL members will now receive royalties distributed by ISAMRA for the use of their recordings in the country. The deal is a result of a ISAMRA’s expansion to represent and pay royalties to both musicians and vocalists (in the past it had represented just the vocalists on a recording). This change enabled PPL to reach an agreement with ISAMRA to collect royalties on behalf of UK performers.

PPL’s director of international Laurence Oxenbury said: ‘The UK is a significant consumer of Indian repertoire and money has already been paid from PPL in the UK to ISAMRA, benefiting hundreds of performers who did not historically have an entitlement to revenue. The performers we represent at PPL will start to receive new royalties for the use of their music in India during 2024. The agreement is another step on our journey to ensure that our members are paid whenever and wherever their music is used around the world.’

The deal follows a partnership forged in 2023 between ISAMRA and the Indian Music Industry, which sees ISAMRA receive up to 25% of public performance revenue from sound recordings collected by PPL India (which is unaffiliated with PPL), to be distributed to performers. ISAMRA CEO Sanjay Tandon has taken a seat on the board of PPL India to further support the growth in PPL India’s collections.