PPL quarterly payment reveals classical music ‘quietly holding its own’

UK music licensing company PPL has announced its second payment of the year. A total of £98 million was paid to more than 121,000 performers and recording rightsholders for this quarter and represents a rise of 37% from the company’s June payment round last year.

Although pop genres continue to be the company’s biggest earner, PPL has described classical music as ‘quietly holding its own across the country’. Revenues from the classical music sector are growing, with PPL’s distributions rising by more than 50% since 2017. Of the current payment round, £3.2 million went to PPL’s classical members.

PPL’s chief operating officer Christine Geissmar said: ‘Our success is built on a network of strong relationships with the people who work so hard to create and market British music. The global financial rewards and cultural standing achieved by this country’s music industry reflects that effort. We are proud to be supporting performers and recording rightsholders all over the world by ensuring they are fairly paid for their output.’ 

More than £5 million of the overall money distributed by PPL in the UK last year went to classical performers and recording rightsholders. This follows the appointment of the company’s first classical relationship manager, George Prince, who took on the role in June last year to ‘continue deepening meaningful relationships with more of the artists and rightsholders it represents within the classical genre.’

PPL’s distributions are made up of monies collected when recordings are played in public places, copied for private use, or broadcast on TV, radio or online. Once money has been collected, PPL calculates how much each performer and recording rightsholder has earned and, after tax and running costs have been deducted, distributes the money to them as royalties.