PPL international collections hit record high of £86.7 million

Music licensing company PPL today announces it collected £86.7 million in international monies in 2019. This represented growth of £15.8m (22%) on the total achieved in 2018 (£70.9 million). This annual total is a new high for the company.

PPL collects money overseas where recorded music rights exist for public performance, broadcast and private copy. It does this through over 95 agreements with collective management organisations (CMOs) across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America. In 2019, PPL’s collections covered approximately 96% of the global value of the neighbouring rights markets for performers, and 93% of the global value of the recording rightsholders’ market.

Such market coverage is a significant factor in the company’s year-on-year international growth, attracting an enviable roster including Tom Walker, Rita Ora, Bastille, Jade Bird and tens of thousands of performers and recording rightsholders. By representing so many members PPL can operate at a large scale, investing in cutting-edge technology, managing an extensive repertoire database of more than 15 million recordings, and driving improved data quality and standards around the world. Underpinning all of this is PPL’s team of neighbouring rights experts, whose detailed knowledge supports the management of these rights through close, collaborative relationships with CMOs, setting a standard for neighbouring rights operations worldwide.

2019 saw PPL sign new agreements with CMOs in Kazakhstan (Amanat), Netherlands (STAP), Slovenia (IPF), and Ukraine (ULCRR), and first-time payments were received from CMOs in Albania, Georgia, Panama, Paraguay and South Korea. This further demonstrates PPL’s continued drive to represent performers and recording rightsholders wherever their recorded music is played around the world and where the relevant recording rights are in place. Notable payments were also received from CMOs in Germany, France, USA and Holland, helping contribute to 2019’s record total.

Laurence Oxenbury, Director of International, PPL said:

“As music consumption increases around the world, in many different countries, PPL is well-positioned to continue getting music people paid. Our international collections are now a vital source of income that supports the music ecosystem, allowing performers to keep creating and developing, and recording rightsholders to support the artists that they represent. The last two years have been particularly successful, with a growth of 75% between 2017 and 2019.

This fantastic achievement is possible thanks to the talented artists and recording rightsholders who entrust us with their valuable rights. Our business is nothing without them and I am pleased that the team at PPL, working with our partner organisations around the world, have managed to continue to develop this revenue stream for them.”

Peter Leathem, Chief Executive Officer, PPL said:

“PPL’s international collections account for a significant proportion of the company’s overall revenue, reflecting the drive over the last 14 years to collect this money for performers and recording rightsholders. Collaboration with our international counterparts is central to the progress we have made with our collections, as is our investment in leading-edge technology and data infrastructure.

The value of our payments is also reflected in the quality and scale of artists and rightsholders who entrust us with their royalty collections outside of the UK. We have over 95,000 internationally mandated performers and recording rightsholders; our roster includes some of the most recognisable names in music, from established legends to today’s brightest new talents. It is an honour to represent so many performers and rightsholders on the world stage, and we will continue to stand up for their music rights in 2020.”

Leo Taylor, session drummer for Adele, Ed Sheeran, Lana Del Ray and others, said:

“As a session musician I have played on many different recordings and as a result PPL payments form an important part of my income. The high quality level of its work in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world combined with the care and attention I get from my account managers there, PPL always gives me faith that I am being fairly paid when music I have contributed to is played, allowing me to concentrate further on my craft and career.”

ENDS

For media enquiries, contact David Cohen, PPL Communications and PR Manager, at david.cohen@ppluk.com / 020 7534 1262 / 07729 321 096