PPL Eligible Studio Producers Form welcomed by MPG

The PPL’s new Eligible Studio Producers Form, which is aimed at clarifying producers’ contributions to recorded tracks and simplifying royalty claims, has been welcomed by the Music Producers Guild.

The launch of the new form follows a series of discussions with a host of 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.”

Both featured performers and studio producers will now be able to agree, at the point of recording, what contributions have been made on a track by a studio producer, creating a better understanding from the outset as to how any royalties earned on the relevant tracks may be distributed. The form will also allow studio producers to substantiate their PPL claims more easily, and consequently earn the correct royalties for making qualifying contributions to a recording.

While studio producers may not always 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. So, in order to promote a better understanding around studio producers’ entitlement to receive royalties from PPL, and the accompanying claims process, PPL has introduced the new form and guidance notes, which can be downloaded from ppluk.co.

“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.”

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