Boring But Very Important To Promoters And Punters

[Ged Parker]

Some of you as promotors may have to deal with PPL charges at Venue either directly or indirectly through hire charges. PPL have just launched the second round of their consultation on SFE (Specially Featured Entertainment) or wherever sound recordings are played as the main or special attraction.

This will apply to Northern Soul events as it does currently (though not to line dancing funnily enough)

However the proposed increase in charges will make one of three things happen:

1) Events will find ways not to pay this fee

2) Entrance fees to events will go up substantially

3) Events will not be viable and so close (some may say fewer venues would be a good thing).

I've extracted from the Apendices of the consultation document a couple of examples of how things will change if the proposals go through. They look at two levels of attendance (100 and 300) at a night and the fees for events lasting 5, 6, 8 or 10 hours which probably gives an idea on attendance but cover the various durations of most soul nights.

You can see the figures yourselves but an allnighter with 300 people at it where the fee is currently £104.82 (per event) will get dearer each year eventually reaching £595.14 +VAT (per event) in three years.

I know this is boring stuff but it will impact on many of us and given that a great deal of the stuff we play is not licensed by PPL I will for one be sending in a response asking that Northern Soul events be excluded from this new tarriff in the way that Line Dancing, Practice and Social Dances and Folk Club dances are. Remember silence is acquiescence.

The consultation papers should be released on the PPL web site over the next two to three days

https://www.ppluk.com/

I can't get the table to load unfortunately but an event from 8pm - 1am with 100 attendees goes from £14.01 +VAT to £140.88 +VAT per event.

100 Attendees Current First Transitional Year Second Transitional Year New Tarriff 5 Hours 14.01 35.22 70.44 140.88 6 Hours 16.81 38.28 76.56 153.13 8 Hours 22.41 43.09 86.19 172.38 10 Hours 28.02 45.27 90.57 181.14 300 Attendees Current First Transitional Year Second Transitional Year New Tarriff 5 Hours 52.41 115.72 231.44 462.88 6 Hours 62.89 125.78 251.56 503.13 8 Hours 83.85 141.59 283.19 566.38 10 Hours 104.82 148.77 297.57 595.14

Edited July 7, 2011 by ged parker

[Ian Dewhirst]

Some of you as promotors may have to deal with PPL charges at Venue either directly or indirectly through hire charges. PPL have just launched the second round of their consultation on SFE (Specially Featured Entertainment) or wherever sound recordings are played as the main or special attraction.

This will apply to Northern Soul events as it does currently (though not to line dancing funnily enough)

However the proposed increase in charges will make one of three things happen:

1) Events will find ways not to pay this fee

2) Entrance fees to events will go up substantially

3) Events will not be viable and so close (some may say fewer venues would be a good thing).

I've extracted from the Apendices of the consultation document a couple of examples of how things will change if the proposals go through. They look at two levels of attendance (100 and 300) at a night and the fees for events lasting 5, 6, 8 or 10 hours which probably gives an idea on attendance but cover the various durations of most soul nights.

You can see the figures yourselves but an allnighter with 300 people at it where the fee is currently £104.82 (per event) will get dearer each year eventually reaching £595.14 +VAT (per event) in three years.

I know this is boring stuff but it will impact on many of us and given that a great deal of the stuff we play is not licensed by PPL I will for one be sending in a response asking that Northern Soul events be excluded from this new tarriff in the way that Line Dancing, Practice and Social Dances and Folk Club dances are. Remember silence is acquiescence.

The consultation papers should be released on the PPL web site over the next two to three days

https://www.ppluk.com/

I can't get the table to load unfortunately but an event from 8pm - 1am with 100 attendees goes from £14.01 +VAT to £140.88 +VAT per event.

100 Attendees Current First Transitional Year Second Transitional Year New Tarriff 5 Hours 14.01 35.22 70.44 140.88 6 Hours 16.81 38.28 76.56 153.13 8 Hours 22.41 43.09 86.19 172.38 10 Hours 28.02 45.27 90.57 181.14 300 Attendees Current First Transitional Year Second Transitional Year New Tarriff 5 Hours 52.41 115.72 231.44 462.88 6 Hours 62.89 125.78 251.56 503.13 8 Hours 83.85 141.59 283.19 566.38 10 Hours 104.82 148.77 297.57 595.14

I think this is really quite a cynical way to hike PPL charges, probably suggested by an accountant who has no real idea of the long-term damage this will cause to music being played out in the UK.

These charges will simply be usustainable in the current climate, where clubs and bars are closing at the fastest rate for decades. Believe you me, NONE of this money is ever likely to reach the artists whose records are played at Rare Soul venues but more likely to line the pockets of existing PPL members. So, yes, of course, Northern/Rare Soul has a cast-iron case for exemption.

This should be fought at all costs IMO.

Ian D

[Guest Andy Kempster]

Surely the point of the ppl is to make sure that artists and performers are receiving the royalties owed to them. Based on this are they able to offer an open book policy to prove that payments are being regularly made to either the artist themselves or to their estate, personally I think not. Perhaps if everyone refused to pay then they would have to rethink and go away. It is something that many workplaces have done and seems to have worked.

[Len]

Is this a separate thing to an entertainments licence? I don't think everyone is aware, but I think everyone who is putting on an event should have an entertainments licence. When I used to promote I had one, cost just over £100.00 per year. I'll try and dig out details of where to sort it if anyone wants me too.

All the best,

Len.

Edited July 7, 2011 by LEN

[Ged Parker]

Surely the point of the ppl is to make sure that artists and performers are receiving the royalties owed to them. Based on this are they able to offer an open book policy to prove that payments are being regularly made to either the artist themselves or to their estate, personally I think not. Perhaps if everyone refused to pay then they would have to rethink and go away. It is something that many workplaces have done and seems to have worked.

The thing about an 'open book' arrangement Andy is that they would require this to work both ways. i.e. you'd have to detail every title played and how often with all the credits for each. Instead we have ended up in position where they charge a fee based on average admission numbers (or if you refuse to / cant supply these venue capacity) length of the event. The distribute the fees based on some complex formula of know plays and radio airtime.

So the money they collect from a rare soul night for you playing the Magnetics get redistributed to the Javells .

[Ged Parker]

I think this is really quite a cynical way to hike PPL charges, probably suggested by an accountant who has no real idea of the long-term damage this will cause to music being played out in the UK.

These charges will simply be usustainable in the current climate, where clubs and bars are closing at the fastest rate for decades. Believe you me, NONE of this money is ever likely to reach the artists whose records are played at Rare Soul venues but more likely to line the pockets of existing PPL members. So, yes, of course, Northern/Rare Soul has a cast-iron case for exemption.

This should be fought at all costs IMO.

Ian D

Send in a response for Ian. Its the only way to change their views.

I think there is a pretty solid case for an exemption for Northern Soul events, eveny more for Rare Soul ones.

[Ged Parker]

Is this a separate thing to an entertainments licence? I don't think everyone is aware, but I think everyone who is putting on an event should have an entertainments licence. When I used to promote I had one, cost just over £100.00 per year. I'll try and dig out details of where to sort it if anyone wants me too.

All the best,

Len.

Yes Len different from the old Ents Licence and from PRS.

Ents licences are now under the new Licensing Act where all licensable activities need to be on the premises licence.

They are just looking for ways to increase income in the light of lost revenue due to piracy / illegal downloads etc.