Music Venue Trust (MVT) has launched a new industry campaign entitled Set The Record Straight: Fair Licensing Fees, aimed at examining how PRS’s licensing charges are calculated, applied and enforced across the U.K.’s grassroots live music circuit.
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The initiative focuses on the administration of performance rights fees collected by PRS For Music, Britain’s music copyright collective. Led by MVT’s rights management specialist Gareth Kelly, the charity organization argues that PRS’ current practices are producing inaccurate billing outcomes for independent venues across the country.
In a statement, MVT also points to issues including reliance on estimated data, inconsistencies in venue capacity figures and unclear allocation of liability between venues and promoters. MVT argues that structural inaccuracies in how fees are assessed are placing avoidable financial pressure on grassroots venues already operating on tight margins.
Recent analysis conducted by MVT has identified more than £666,000 ($902,210) in incorrect PRS-related charges across venues in England, Scotland and Wales. In one case, MVT cites a £90,000 ($122,000) discrepancy it says could be sufficient to force a grassroots venue to close.
According to MVT, inconsistencies have been found across several regions, including over £56,000 ($75,800) in the north west, more than £20,000 ($27,000) in the south west, nearly £50,000 ($67,000) in London, over £80,000 ($108,000) in Wales, and in excess of £75,000 ($101,000) in Scotland.
Concerns around liability in promoter-led shows have also been raised, with MVT stating that venues are often held responsible for PRS fees even when promoters control ticketing and event revenues. The organization is calling for clearer responsibility across the live events sector.
MVT added that automated enforcement linked to disputed billing has resulted in five grassroots venues receiving County Court Judgments, with more than 50 others facing legal action or threats of legal escalation.
The campaign launches amid ongoing scrutiny of PRS’s Live Popular Tariff for grassroots venues and promoters, which MVT says remains a significant cost burden and is yet to undergo the comprehensive reform it believes the sector requires.
Mark Davyd, CEO of MVT, said: “Licensing systems are complex, and too often they operate in a space that people don’t fully understand. That lack of clarity makes it harder to challenge inaccuracies and easier for problems to persist. This campaign is about bringing transparency into that space and making sure the system works as it should; fairly, accurately and in a way that reflects how grassroots music actually operates.”A PRS For Music spokesperson said: “Live royalties are the result of a chain of activity — from the writing and performance of a work to the licensing of the venue, the provision of accurate event data, and the submission of set lists. Every link in that chain matters in ensuring writers are paid when their works are performed live.“PRS licenses venues for the use of music and relies on the data they provide, including capacity and event information. Estimations are only used when the relevant data has not been provided. However, we are continuously investing in and improving the collection of live data to accelerate accurate payment of royalties, including improving setlist collection tools and exploring AI tools to find fan generated setlists to supplement missing data.“The most effective way to improve outcomes for songwriters is through shared responsibility across the live music ecosystem, and we will continue to work with all parties across the live sector to strengthen every part of that process.”
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