Performance Rights Society Goes After Childrens' Charity
from the that-hard-up-for-money,-huh? dept
We've noted in the past that the Performance Rights Society (PRS), which is in charge of collecting performance rights royalties throughout the UK, has basically been pushing the boundaries of the definition of a "public performance" -- and it's reaching the point where if anyone else hears the music you're playing, you may owe PRS a royalty. For example, they first went after car repair shops where mechanics in the garage area were apparently listening to personal radios loud enough for customers in the shop to hear. Then, they went after police stations that had personal radios playing loud enough for others to hear.The latest in its effort to look about as obnoxious as possible is to (seriously) go after a non-profit children's community center for using a TV, radio and CD player to keep kids entertained. As the folks who run the community center note, they already have a TV license, and have purchased the CDs legally. Yet, PRS wants them to pay again -- and not a small sum, either. It'll be another £3,000 to actually use these products that were legally purchased. It's almost as if the folks on the "royalties" side of the music business want to look as evil as is humanly possible.
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Filed Under: community center, performance rights, royalties, uk
Companies: prs
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Well, they are a part of the music industry.
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Re:
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Easy
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Time for parental action!
Once they arrive, make sure your favorite dinner music is playing softly in the background as you serve dinner. During dessert, be sure to present your child with a bill for 3,000 Pounds to cover your obligation to the PRS. If your child refuses to remit, notify his or her PRS supervisor at your first opportunity.
If none of this works, please spank your badly behaving child no matter the age.
You owe this to society as you clearly made serious mistakes in raising your child.
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Re: Time for parental action!
Have the "child" invite you over dinner and give them a bill for their entertaining you with TV, music etc...
When they refuse to pay PRS rat them out!
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Re: Time for parental action!
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Re: Time for parental action!
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Tell them to
Seriously, refuse to pay no matter what.
Sometimes you have to stand up for what is right, no matter what. About 99.5% of the population would side with them on this. At least I would guess it would be easily over 95%
Btw, those mechanics didn't seriously pay did they? I hope not. These people need a good slap in the face. Need to wake up to reality.
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Re: Tell them to
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Incidentally, I'm actually quite glad that this kind of crap is still a police matter; if the PRS do finally get their way on spot checks, which I presume they requested and were refused back when this law was new, better said spot checks be done by someone not employed by the PRS itself.
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Re:
The only solution to this BS is the obvious one: Everyone quit buying recorded music. Thus, the PRS and the recording mafia in the US will have no monies to collect, and they'll wither and die (which seems to be what they're trying to accomplish). Unless they start charging us for singing, humming and whistling. In which case, it's time for them to start getting measured for their dirt naps, because someone will justifiably go postal on them.
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So the solution isn't just to stop buying recorded music, but to stop listening to broadcast stations as well.
Might as well just not listen to any music at all, just to be on the safe side.
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blimey! limey!
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Re: blimey! limey!
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from the people who made Scroooooge into a household name...
...now there's even less reason to go to the dentist (oh, wait, this is the British we're talking about)
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Laughing all the way to the bank
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Parties
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Performance Rights Society Goes After Childrens' Charity
time there was a law!
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Re: Performance Rights Society Goes After Childrens' Charity
That's pretty funny.
If there were laws dealing with everything that bothered anyone then no one would be allowed to do anything. But wait, wouldn't that bother some one ? I'm so confused.
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Re: Performance Rights Society Goes After Childrens' Charity
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Illegal monopolies embedded in law . .
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PRS Suck
As the saying goes the Laws an Ass
They are also going after all small business even if there is only 1 or 2 people.
Unfortunately this Not for profit PRS has deep pockets to take this to law and win
Government needs to stop this and we all need to demand they are stopped
Last thought
Someone does a song, the record company pay them
The radio plays it and also pays them
You listen and you now pay them
Then if you like it you can buy it and pay them
And if you play it out side your home you can pay them again.
I do a job and get paid once, guess I am in the wrong line
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Petition to number 10
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Workplaceradios
and sign up to this petition - who knows? But at least you will have taken a little positive action!
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Not the best of PR eh?
I'm sure the PRS haven't actively target children’s charities, but surely they can come up with a decent scheme that doesn't make them look so bitter and money-grabbing?
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