Open Letter to Noddy Holder and the other members of Slade
Dear Chaps,
Those who know me think that I am a level headed sort of chap but, I have to admit that last week I acted totally out of character and I ventured into that monument to retail sales known as Meadowhall. You have probably seen the vast expanse of it when you have been travelling between gigs along the M1 over the Tinsley Viaduct at Sheffield. You will be please to learn that although there is still some way to go to the climax of the festive season, the melodious strains of your classic hit, "Merry Christmas Everybody" is being played in many of the shops. There are not many people that will make a net gain out of Christmas this year - I most certainly will not - but I am please to tell you that you probably will!
How do I know this? Well your music has the benefit of copyright and enjoys the protection of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This means that if anyone wants to play your music in any public place then they need your permission. This permission is known as a licence and it has to be obtained in advance for a fee.
Recently, I was explaining all of this around the dinner table at home and, after a short period of no reaction, the question was raised "how does Noddy cope with all of the requests he must receive and find time to appear in those nutty advertisements?" I explained to them, you do not personally deal with the licences, there are two organisations that deal with them for you and other songwriters and performers. They are known as the Performing Rights Society (PRS) and Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) and, I suppose, are best described as the equivalent of Santa's little helpers. An annual licence is required from both organisations.
Noddy, did you know that many businesses do not realise that public place extends to any commercial environment? So, if a radio, CD, DVD or TV is played in an office not normally accessed by the public then two licences are still required even if the equipment is only used to play festive music.
Both organisations have inspectors who seek out defaulters that do not have the required licences and, if discovered infringing the copyright, those businesses will be asked to pay a premium of 50% for the first year licence fee. If they refuse they are likely to be prosecuted and fined.
A client came to see me some months ago who was facing such a fine and could not understand how they discovered he had a radio playing in his workshop. It transpired that he had accessed the PRS website and enquired as to the price but did not go ahead because he thought it too expensive and the radio station had paid for the licences. The information gleaned from the website was used for a visit by one of the inspectors who promptly informed him that radio stations do indeed need licences but that he needed to have additional permissions. Needless to say, he now has paid the fine and obtained the licences.
I T' S C H R I S T M A S !
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