PERFORMING RIGHTS SOCIETY WANTS BUSINESS TO SHOW THEM THE MONEY
18/12/07 | 14:07
A number of businesses have contacted their local chamber of commerce to say that the PRS has been actively pursuing them for money. Unlike awareness levels of TV licences there is very little knowledge of the need to pay for a separate licence for use of radios.
Examples of businesses who have been affected include:
St Joseph’s Workshops, Atherton, Wigan who make communion wafers. They were cold called by the PRS who promptly sent them a bill for £97.62 upon learning the company played music through a radio. The company says it had no information about the law.
Anthony Rana, who runs a patisserie-café in Sheffield. Despite only playing talk radio stations he has been told he has to pay.
Shep Plastics in Sussex. There were threatened with being taken to court if ‘employees played music that their colleagues may overhear’ and they did not have a licence.
Dam House, a charity in Astley, Wigan. They were surprised to receive a visit from the PRS and be told they needed a licence costing £230 to play music in their kitchen.
They were even more surprised to learn they must pay more money to the PRS because they admitted that a choir performs Christmas carols at the venue. Unbelievably, as the Choir is performing songs that are copyRightsed the venue has to pay more money, raising the bill they have to pay the PRS to £470
David Frost, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said:
“Chambers of Commerce from across the country have been telling me that the PRS has been ramping up its efforts to get money out of businesses, many of whom are simply not aware of the law. Due to the complete lack of information on the law many businesses are seeing this as yet another extra tax they have to pay. The PRS needs to tell people what the law is any why it exists before demanding money.”
Angie Robinson, chief executive of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, who have actively been campaigning in their area to raise awareness of the antics of the PRS, said:
"We've received several complaints from members on this issue, and we're particularly concerned about the way they are being contacted by the PRS. While we recognise the need for companies to comply, many of our members are completely unaware of the PRS and the need for a licence and in fact have contacted the us believing the phone calls to be a potential scam. The law seems to be unclear in this area creating confusion among businesses. We've been in touch with both the PRS and the Culture Secretary James Purnell to raise member concerns and to press for the need for more clarity on the issue."
ENDS
MEDIA CONTACT:NOTES TO EDITORS:The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is the National Voice of Local Business.
The BCC sits at the heart of a powerful nationwide network of Accredited Chambers of Commerce serving business across the UK, which employ over five million people.