My boss has been sent an e-mail about broadcasting music in the office

DJMK4

DJMK4

DJMK4

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From some sort of agency warning of a fine if we broadcast music from radio1 in an office with about 8 people in.

I know this was the case for places like shops etc, but surely 8 people is not enough to warrent the £100 or so pound licence fee to broadcast music from internet radio?
 
Probably from the PRS or the BPI. According to them, playing music in any kind of public place constitutes a public performance and if you're not paying for it, it's illegal.

Total nonsense of course.
 
I thought it was only music "protected" by the PRS & BPI? Obviously Radio One falls into that category.

So if you were to play an artist that isn't protected by them they cannot do anything about it?

As reflux says though total nonsense.

5. Workplaces
Workers/colleagues and/or customers/clients have been recognised by the courts as falling within the composer's ‘public’. Any person wishing either to play or to authorise the playing of our music to such individuals in the workplace - wherever that workplace is situated - should therefore obtain a Music Licence.

PRS for Music requires any workplace using music to obtain a Music licence. However, PRS for Music, at its discretion, will not make a charge for its licence in certain circumstances:
Home offices within a private residence - for an individual working on their own in the home office or for people who are permanently resident at that address. However, if you have colleagues working with you (who do not live at the premises) or customers/clients coming into your home (and music is played at these times), PRS for Music would apply the relevant tariff.
Lone workers - workplaces with only one worker, where music is not made available to any visitors/customers coming onto the premises.
Personal Portable Devices - Where music is only used in the workplace by individual employees or workers solely by means of Personal Portable Devices (such as MP3 players) with headphones. Any music must only be audible to the employee or worker to whom the Personal Portable Device belongs through a headset attached to that device and not to any other individual in the workplace.
If music is made available to employees or visitors to the premises by any other means, PRS for Music would apply the relevant tariff.
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Source: http://www.prsformusic.com/USERS/BU...MUSICFORBUSINESSES/Pages/doineedalicence.aspx
 
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DampCat said:
It's not a public place, it's a private office.
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It is a public place by their definition. It doesn't matter whether it is open to members of the general public or not, it's not private accommodation and it's not for personal use.

We had a letter through about this and even though there are only three people in my company we are still supposed to pay it.
 
reflux said:
It is a public place by their definition. It doesn't matter whether it is open to members of the general public or not, it's not private accommodation and it's not for personal use.

We had a letter through about this and even though there are only three people in my company we are still supposed to pay it.
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Jesus, how are they going to know exactly? I'd ignore it and carry on listening to the radio station that the license fee already pays for :rolleyes:
 
Mattey1 said:
I thought it was only music "protected" by the PRS & BPI? Obviously Radio One falls into that category.

So if you were to play an artist that isn't protected by them they cannot do anything about it?

As reflux says though total nonsense.
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All musical works that are played in any environment using any form of transmission to the listener/listeners are owed a fee by law.

All works are protected by law. If the artist does not register that work with a collection agency it is of no matter to the person providing the means to hear the music, they still owe a fee for the luxury.

If you want music played to an audience that stretches past the limits of "private use" then you have to be a member of one of the collection agencies, i.e. the "performing rights society".

I perform on a work, you are transmitting the work, where are my royalities?

Just the way it works. Same with Film, TV etc.
 
DailyGeek said:
Jesus, how are they going to know exactly? I'd ignore it and carry on listening to the radio station that the license fee already pays for :rolleyes:
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You might have a private license, but the workplace is different, the trouble is the varying degree of workplaces, no of heads, thru traffic blah blah.
 
lozza23_uk said:
You might have a private license, but the workplace is different, the trouble is the varying degree of workplaces, no of heads, thru traffic blah blah.
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Right, but you've either got publically funded radio, or commerical radio, both of which presumably pay the royalties to broadcast?
 
lozza23_uk said:
You might have a private license, but the workplace is different, the trouble is the varying degree of workplaces, no of heads, thru traffic blah blah.
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surely everyone has a private license because it isnt optional so paying another license just seems retarded
 
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