Performing Rights Society
Agreement between BHA and PRS
The British Hospitality Association has been leading negotiations on behalf of the industry with support from organisations such as Tourism South East and the Tourism Alliance.
On Friday 20 November 2009 the BHA and PRS announced that they have reached an agreement about how much the licence will cost. For businesses with less than fifteen bedrooms the price will be £44 per year plus VAT.
Download the BHA press release here
Code of Conduct
The Performing Rights Society has produced a code of conduct that will govern the way that PRS representatives deal with businesses such as hotels and B&Bs.
Hotel Bedrooms
For some time the tourism industry has been disputing claims by the PRS that businesses in the accommodation sector should need to pay for a licence in order to have televisions in bed rooms. The PRS argue that copyright music is played on televisions and that a bedroom which is paid for is a 'public place' for these purposes.
Tourism South East has argued that this is not the case. Televisions are placed in rooms for convenience and light entertainment not principally for guests to listen to music. Furthermore TSE does not accept that a bed room constitutes a public place.
Lobbying Activity
Tourism South East has written to various Government Ministers and to the Shadow Tourism Minister regarding this issue. TSE's Chief Executive, Michael Bedingfield sits on the board of the Tourism Alliance and the organisation has used its position to lobby the Government. It has been made clear to the government that the industry as a whole regards this legal requirement as an unjust and costly burden.