British PRO PRS for Music has launched a new online live concert license for small-scale livestreamed gigs, seeking to impose a flat fee equal to a minimum 9% tariff. The Music Managers Forum and Featured Artist Coalition aren’t happy.
The tariff applies to events originating in the U.K. that take in revenues of less than £500 and intends to cover online music usage fees for PRS members’ repertoire. The cost is £45 for events taking in between £251 and £500 and £22.50 for those earning less than £250, depending on ticket sales. The tariff is said to be temporary until the live sector can reopen.
“In normal circumstances, online live concerts are an incremental revenue stream to live performance,” a statement from PRS reads. “PRS for Music, however, recognizes that as long as the physical live sector remains closed, livestreamed concerts, whilst still a different form of exploitation to a physical gig or concert, are in part substitutional for physical gigs and concerts.”
