News - PPL announce the introduction of the Eligible Studio Producer Form

Press Release: In what will be an enhancement to industry working practice, PPL is pleased to announce the launch of its Eligible Studio Producer Form. This follows discussions with several industry organisations including MPG, FAC, MMF, Equity and MU.

“This form, following the investments we have made into our systems, now means that all parties can agree at the point of recording what contributions have been made on a track. In the past, supplying this confirmation to PPL has not been administratively easy for studio producers,” said Peter Leathem, Chief Executive Officer, PPL. “The new form offers a practical solution for studio producers to make royalty claims. It is not a change in policy but, by introducing this simple and transparent process, it allows all parties to reach agreement at the time which in turn will clarify the payment process. In today’s digital age accurate and timely data is critical.”

When a track is recorded there can be several performers on the final recording who are entitled to claim royalties from PPL for their audible contributions (such as vocals or instrumentation). Even though studio producers may not make audible contributions on a recording they may still, in certain circumstances, be eligible to receive royalties from PPL for their non-audible contributions made during the live recording process. In order to promote a better understanding around studio producers’ entitlement to receive royalties from PPL, and the accompanying claims process, PPL has introduced its new form and guidance notes. The new form, which can be downloaded from www.ppluk.com, now offers a simple, practical solution for producers to provide evidence to support claims for royalties from PPL for these types of contributions.

“It will really help to provide evidence of the producer's performance in the live recording, which can be used to validate any claims,” said Steve Levine, Chairman, Music Producers Guild. “This allows qualifying studio producers to be paid correctly by PPL for their valuable contribution to the tracks they produce. In addition, because the studio producer is often the only person who is there on all the sessions, this form will provide accurate, additional featured performer line up data for PPL to obtain from the recording. This will help PPL from an administrative point of view and my thanks to them for driving this through and also to, amongst others, the MU, MMF, FAC as well as BPI and AIM, who give it their full support.”

The form will be available on the PPL website (www.ppluk.com) and in recording studios.

Where a studio producer does not make an audible contribution (such as vocals) on a recording, studio producers may still be eligible to receive revenue from PPL as an Eligible Studio Producer if they conduct (or provide a similar musical direction) to another performer’s live performance as it is being recorded.

As not all studio producers provide the right kind of contribution to qualify as an Eligible Studio Producer, the purpose of the new form is to record the understanding of the Featured Performer(s) on the recording that the studio producer does qualify and so is eligible to receive equitable remuneration from PPL. PPL has prepared the form as a practical tool for this purpose.

PPL recommends that the form is signed by (all) the featured performer(s) at the time of the recording session and then submitted to PPL by the studio producer via email at performer@ppluk.com. Once submitted, this form enables PPL to process Eligible Studio Producer claims more efficiently and with greater certainty regarding studio producers’ contributions. Copies of the form and guidance are available on online at www.ppluk.com.

Where an Eligible Studio Producer claim is accepted by PPL, the studio producer is added as a non-featured performer on the relevant repertoire. This may affect the revenue PPL allocates to the featured performer(s) in relation to that repertoire. For more information please read the accompanying guidance on PPL’s Eligible Studio Producer Policy available online at www.ppluk.com.