UK Pubs Can Get Huge Refunds From Music Collection Group After Overcharging

from the well-that's-a-surprise dept

Mon, Jun 7th 2010 11:32pm — Mike Masnick

After seeing so many stories of various collection and performance licensing groups being able to boost their rates and expand their coverage over the past few years, it's nice to see at least some pushback. IanVisits points out that, over in the UK, the Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL) has lost a lawsuit which claimed it had seriously overcharged. So now pubs, bars and restaurants can start claiming refunds. Of course, a bit annoyingly, these venues have to proactively make a claim. Contrast that to demands from such collection societies about how you automatically have to pay up for a license... The article also notes that the ruling requires new rates, with some pubs and restaurants expecting the money they have to pay to be cut in half. Nice to see that more venues might be comfortable playing and promoting music again...

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Filed Under: licensing, performance, uk
Companies: ppl

10 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 8 Jun 2010 @ 1:33am

One small step for man One giant leap backwards for the recording industry!
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Richard (profile), 8 Jun 2010 @ 4:45am

Re:
Actually it is good for the recording industry too. Pubs in the UK are in pretty desperate times. Many are closing. All that PPL were achieving with their excessive charging was to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

Sometimes people have to be saved from their own folly.
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Rabbit80, 8 Jun 2010 @ 6:26am

Re: Re:
Things will only continue to get worse for UK pubs. With the new budget to be announced shortly, I expect more massive tax hikes on alcohol and people having less money to go out with in the first place. These refunds are only a small benefit in the overall picture.
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Hephaestus (profile), 8 Jun 2010 @ 8:00am

Re: Re: Re:
And good riddens who want to drink warm beer anyway ... ;)
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Jun 2010 @ 8:35am

"some pubs and restaurants expecting the money they have to pay to be cut in half" - sort of standard techdirt 'reporting'. half of what? the old too low rate? the new too high rate? half the national debt?
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Jun 2010 @ 10:56am

Re:
Are you really that dense?

Do you not know basic division?

Reading comprehension?

Did you drop out of elementary school?
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PaulT (profile), 8 Jun 2010 @ 1:24pm

Re: Re: Re: Re:
It's about time that cliche was put to bed. The "warm beer" Yanks refer to is ale, which nobody under 60 really drinks nowadays. You're much more likely to see bitter and lager, with brands like "Carling Extra Cold" and Guinness Extra Cold" than ale in most pubs.

"Warm beer" is as relevant to the modern day UK as "malt shop" does to the modern US.
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PaulT (profile), 8 Jun 2010 @ 1:29pm

Re: Re:
I believe the answers are: yes, no, no, still there.
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Anonymous Coward, 8 Jun 2010 @ 2:55pm

Re: Re:
Don't bother responding to him. His trolling was once reasonably decent, now it's just pathetic.
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Print koozies, 8 Jun 2010 @ 7:24pm

Thanks for post. It’s really informative stuff.
I really like to read.Hope to learn a lot and have a nice experience here! my best regards guys!
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