Issue Date: Vol. 52, No. 5, May 2012, Posted On: 5/4/2012
UK's Music Industry Regulator Steps Up Enforcement, Orders Some Pubs To Turn Off Jukeboxes
by Staff Reporter
UK music industry, music licensing of British pubs, Phonographic Performance Ltd., juke box, jukebox licensing fees, performing rights fees, leisure industry, Performing Rights Society
EAST LANCASHIRE, England -- The UK's music industry watchdog has stepped up its surveillance efforts in Britain's pubs. After raiding a pub here, the Phonographic Performance Ltd. ordered the owner to shut down the jukebox and resolve allegedly unpaid licensing fees.
The Lancashire Telegraph reported that Beverley McRae, owner of The Bridge Inn, faces a possible £10,000 fine and two years in prison unless she complies with a High Court order secured by the PPL. Other pubs were hit by similar fines. | SEE STORY
The pub and leisure industries, fearing even higher fees, are rallying against the PPL licensing system. The paper reported that the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers, the Bar Entertainment and Dance Association, the British Beer and Pub Association and the British Hospitality Association have put together a £300,000 fund to aid businesses affected by PPL action.
The UK has one of the most complex music licensing systems. In addition to the PPL, the Performing Rights Society, another body responsible for enforcement, has its own licensing requirements.
