Administration rates
PRS administration rates
As a membership organisation, we cover the cost of collecting music royalties through our admin rates. We work on continually improving our systems each year so we can keep these as low as possible and we are one of the most cost-effective collecting societies in Europe.
Administration rates for type of use
For the UK, the rate depends on the type of use (such as ‘on the radio’, ‘live performance’). If the work is licensed on a pan-European basis, the admin rate is 10% of the collected cost for each of the four main distributions each year.
Broadcasting
From the December 2019 distribution onwards, we will start to phase in increases to our administration rates when your music is used on radio and TV. An additional 0.5% will be deducted from the licence fees we collect for these services and this is projected to apply for five years. Below you can compare the old rates with the new ones and see when the rates for each channel will change.
| Channel | Old rate | New rate | Date of change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sky TV | 14% | 14.5% | December 2019 distribution |
Sky on-demand |
10% | 10.5% | December 2019 distribution |
| Commercial radio | 15% | 15.5% | April 2020 distribution |
Classic FM |
20% | 20.5% | April 2020 distribution |
BBC TV |
12.5% | 13% | July 2020 distribution |
| BBC Radio | 12.5% | 13% | July 2020 distribution |
| BBC iPlayer | 10% | 10.5% | July 2020 distribution |
| ITV | 14% | 14.5% | July 2020 distribution |
ITV Hub |
10% | 10.5% | July 2020 distribution |
Channel 4 and S4C |
16% | 16.5% | July 2020 distribution |
All 4 |
10% |
10.5% |
July 2020 distribution |
Channel 5 |
16% |
16.5% |
July 2020 distribution |
My 5 |
10% |
10.5% |
July 2020 distribution |
MTV Europe |
16% |
16.5% |
July 2020 distribution |
| Music channels | 16% | 16.5% | July 2020 distribution |
| Satellite and cable | 16% | 16.5% | July 2020 distribution |
| Cable re-transmissions (UK TV shows retransmitted and shown on TV abroad) | 6.25% - 10% |
6.5% - 10.25% |
July 2020 distribution |
Public performances
From the October 2019 distribution onwards, we will be increasing our administration rates when your music is played live or in businesses across the UK. An additional 3% will be deducted from the licence fees we collect from these businesses and this is projected to apply for five years. Below you can compare the old rates with the new ones and see when the rates for each service will change.
| Service | Old rate | New rate | Date of change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema | 16% | 19% | October 2019 distribution |
| Commercial discos and clubs | 20% | 23% | October 2019 distribution |
| Other recorded | 20% | 23% | October 2019 distribution |
| Pop and classical concerts (up to a maximum deduction per event of £1250) | 20% | 23% | October 2019 distribution |
| General live (non-concert) | 20% |
23% | October 2019 distribution |
Public reception (when your music is played in public via a broadcast domain e.g. on radio or TV) |
20% | 23% | Sky – December 2019 distribution Commercial radio – April 2020 distribution BBC and all other radio and TV channels – July 2020 distribution |
Major Live Concert Service - MLCS™, will not be impacted and will stay at £125 per act per event fee.
Digital
- Internet operators - 10%
- Ringtones and ringbacks - 10%
- Online Live Concerts - 10% (from May 2021)
International touring
Our Major Live Concert Service (MLCS™) is designed to support the management of tours beyond the UK. This includes an online area to track royalties and box office returns. It costs £125 per country for each tour or the percentage rate for that country, whichever is lower.
Administration rates for royalties received from partner societies
From the October 2019 distribution onwards, we will be increasing the rates charged to process money we collect from sister societies overseas. We want to simplify the administration rates, more accurately reflect the cost of processing this money and mirror the rates charged in other territories. As with all administration rates, these will be kept under review:
- For royalties collected by US societies our rates will be 2%.
- For societies where we collect in excess of £10m annually, our rates will be 4%.
- For all other societies our rates will be 8%.
Below you can compare the old rates with the new ones and see when the rates for each society will change.
Country |
Society | Old rate | New rate | Date of change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
USA |
ASCAP |
1% |
2% |
October 2019 distribution |
USA |
BMI |
1% |
2% |
October 2019 distribution |
USA |
SESAC |
1% |
2% |
October 2019 distribution |
| France | SACEM | 2% |
4% |
October 2019 distribution |
| Germany | GEMA | 2% |
4% |
October 2019 distribution |
| Ireland | IMRO | 2% | 4% | October 2019 distribution |
| Italy | SIAE | 2% | 4% | October 2019 distribution |
| Japan | JASRAC | 2% | 4% | October 2019 distribution |
| Netherlands | BUMA | 2% | 4% | October 2019 distribution |
| Australia | APRA* | 3% |
4% |
October 2019 distribution |
| Denmark | KODA | 4% |
4% |
No change |
| Sweden | STIM | 2% |
8% |
October 2019 distribution |
| Canada | SOCAN | 3% |
8% |
October 2019 distribution |
| New Zealand | APRA* | 3% |
8% | October 2019 distribution |
| Austria | AKM | 4% |
8% |
October 2019 distribution |
| Belgium | SABAM | 4% | 8% | October 2019 distribution |
| Brazil | UBC | 4% | 8% | October 2019 distribution |
| Finland | TEOSTO | 4% | 8% | October 2019 distribution |
| Hungary | ARTISJUS | 4% | 8% | October 2019 distribution |
| Iceland | STEF | 4% | 8% | October 2019 distribution |
| Norway | TONO | 4% | 8% | October 2019 distribution |
| Poland | ZAIKS | 4% | 8% | October 2019 distribution |
| Spain | SGAE | 4% |
8% | October 2019 distribution |
| Switzerland | SUISA | 4% | 8% | October 2019 distribution |
| Argentina | SADAIC | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Armenia | ARMAUTHOR | 8% | 8% | No change |
| South Africa | SAMRO | 8% | 8% | No change |
| South Korea | KOMCA | 8% | 8% | No change |
| St Lucia | ECCO | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Taiwan | MUST | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Thailand | MCT | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Bahamas | PRS | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Barbados | COSCAP | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Belarus | NCIP | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Bermuda | PRS | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Bolivia | SOBODAYCOM | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | SQN | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Bulgaria | MUSICAUTOR | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Albania | ALBAUTOR | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Chile | SCD | 8% | 8% | No change |
China |
MCSC |
8% | 8% | No change |
| Colombia | SAYCO | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Costa Rica | ACAM | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Croatia | HDS | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Cuba | ACDAM | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Cyprus | PRS | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Czech Republic | OSA | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Ecuador | SAYCE | 8% | 8% | No change |
| El Salvador | SACIM | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Estonia | EAU | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Georgia | GCA | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Gibraltar | PRS | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Greece | AEPI | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Guatemala | AEI | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Honduras | AACIMH | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Hong Kong | CASH | 8% | 8% | No change |
| The Gulf | PRS | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Trinidad and Tobago | COTT | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Turkey | MESAM | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Ukraine | UACRR | 8% | 8% | No change |
| India | IPRS | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Indonesia | KCI |
8% | 8% | No change |
| Israel | ACUM | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Jamaica | JACAP | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Kazakhstan | KAZAK | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Kenya | MCSK | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Latvia | AKKA-LAA | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Lithuania | LATGA-A | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Macau | MACA | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Macedonia | ZAMP | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Malaysia | MACP | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Malta | PRS |
8% | 8% | No change |
| Mauritius | RMS | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Mexico | SACM | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Nigeria | COSON | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Panama | SPAC | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Paraguay | APA | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Peru | APDAYC | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Philippines | FILSCAP | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Portugal | SPA | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Romania | UCMR-ADA | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Russia | RAO | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Serbia | SOKOJ | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Singapore | COMPASS | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Slovakia | SOZA | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Slovenia | SAZAS | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Uruguay | AGADU | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Venezuela | SACVEN | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Vietnam | VCPMC | 8% | 8% | No change |
| Montenegro | PAM-CG | 8% |
8% | No change |
| Zimbabwe | ZIMRA | 8% | 8% |
No change |
*APRA also covers pan-Asia licensing and will appear as Apra Pal (Apac) on your statement. The admin rate for this is different and countries covered by the APRA APAC code will be charged 8% admin.
