Performing Rights Society - SOHO?

[Grinder]

A lot of businesses are having to pay PRS charges to allow them to play the radio at work. Its daft, but that is apparently the law.

Does anyone know the legal position for working at home and playing the radio / music / dvds while working?

[malvolio]

PRS is to cover public performances. Unless you have people in your home who are there on business and who are not in the family, it won't apply.

[Grinder]

We do have occassional client visits for my wife's side of the business. But we don't have the radio on while they are here.

But how is 'public' determined, as we are employees of our own company.

[sweetandsour]

Have you thought about having a look at their website?

http://www.prsformusic.com/users/bus...dalicence.aspx

The pertinent section reads:

PRS for Music requires any workplace using music to obtain a Music licence. However, PRS for Music, at its discretion, will not make a charge for its licence in certain circumstances:

* Home offices within a private residence - for an individual working on their own in the home office or for people who are permanently resident at that address. However, if you have colleagues working with you (who do not live at the premises) or customers/clients coming into your home (and music is played at these times), PRS for Music would apply the relevant tariff.
* Lone workers - workplaces with only one worker, where music is not made available to any visitors/customers coming onto the premises.
* Personal Portable Devices - Where music is only used in the workplace by individual employees or workers solely by means of Personal Portable Devices (such as MP3 players) with headphones. Any music must only be audible to the employee or worker to whom the Personal Portable Device belongs through a headset attached to that device and not to any other individual in the workplace.

If music is made available to employees or visitors to the premises by any other means, PRS for Music would apply the relevant tariff.

So for your home office, I would say you needn't worry provided you turn the music off when you have visitors.

If you really want to pay to be on the safe side then the charge for where there will be four or less people listening is £44 this year.

[malvolio]

Remeber the Malvolio mantra - look it up then ask dumb questions I only follow this becuase I'm in an AmDram group and have to pay attention

Details are at http://www.prsformusic.com/users/bus...dalicence.aspx
I'd guess you were out of scope.

[sweetandsour]

I shouldn't have been so quick to comment.

It does say that a license is required but it will waive the charge at its discretion for certain circumstances.

So yes, it is needed, but there should be no charge.

[Grinder]

That is great - thank you so much.

[RichardCranium]

A lot of businesses are having to pay PRS charges to allow them to play the radio at work. Its daft

Why is it daft?

It is being done either to create a more pleasant environment for the customers in the hope they will spend more, or a more pleasant environment for the employees in the hope they will work harder. Either way the business benefits. Why shouldn't the artists who wrote and performed the music that is producing these increased profits be entitled to a share?

[expat]

Where my partner works, there is one other person in the same office as her. If they play the radio, they need a PRS licence. However, if each of them plays the same station on 2 different radios, so that each of them is only playing the radio for themselves, then they don't.

I think that is stupid. To me, 2 people playing the radio at work is the same as 2 people playing the radio at home. So far nobody has suggested that she and I need a PRS licence to listen together in the kitchen.

[RichardCranium]

To me, 2 people playing the radio at work is the same as 2 people playing the radio at home.

No it isn't. The former is done for profit. The latter is done for recreation.