How The System Works
The Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society is the world's largest royalty collection
agency. The MCPS collects and distributes 'mechanical' royalties generated from the recording of music onto many different formats. This income is distributed to their members - writers and publishers of music.
The MCPS get a commission from transactions.
Where Does The Money Come From?
Basically it comes from the sale of recordings, that is, from the licence that should
be obtained prior to manufacture. Ideally, a licence should be applied for in the early
stages of making a recording. This will enable the producer to put the correct information
(title, composer and copyright owner) on the CD sleeve - including the MCPS logo.
How Much Does A Licence Cost?
It all depends on the content of the music and sometimes how old it is. If you were
to record all your own tunes then the licence would cost you nothing. If you were to record music composed
by others then it would cost either 6.5% of the selling price or 8.5% of the dealer price of the CD (+ VAT).
The total amount payable would depend on the quantity being manufactured.
How About DVD's?
The above information applies to CD's. DVD's are now becoming more popular and come under
a different catagory. Details will be given in a forthcoming version of KeyboardChat.Com.
How Do I Apply For A Licence For Making CD's?
As you are on-line looking at this, you can go direct to the MCPS website - see the link below.
The answer is to request a licence application form from them for producing a CD.
Who Is Likely To Ask To See The Licence?
Professional CD manufacturers will want the manufacturing copy before they start
making the CD. An official of the MCPS may want to see the licence for anything you
produce yourself.
What Happens IF I Don't Get a Licence?
Then you are taking a big risk. This can be regarded as stealing the work of others for
which you can pay the penalty and be fined. This could effect the career of an up and coming star.
It should be noted that the MCPS have officials looking for unlicenced recordings.
What Should I do If I Have Written My Own Music?
You should apply to be a member of the MCPS and register your music with them.
Apart from a registration fee of £50 (including VAT) to become a member, it costs nothing thereafter. The MCPS will then
collect royalities on your behalf from those who use your music on their recordings or
broadcasts. The MCPS benefits by taking a commission from the money they handle.
What About The PRS?
The Performing Rights Society collects and distributes licence fees for the public performance and broadcast of musical works.
This category includes composers, lyric authors, songwriters, and arrangers. All must have a
work that has been broadcast, performed live or played in public before being eligiable
for membership.
The one off fee for joining the PRS is £100 (including VAT).
Is There A Connection Between the MCPS and PRS?
Although there is a music alliance between them, they are separate organisations in
terms of membership.
Where Can I get Further Information?
From the web sites below where they have a facility for answering questions or you can send them an email.
A good tip is to speak to someone who has done the correct thing and taken out a licence -
this could save you some money, in addition to benefitting from the experience of
someone else.
The information on this page is only for guidance. For more detailed information you
should visit the relevant web sites mentioned below.
We are working in conjunction with the MCPS to produce these brief
and simplified notes. Any updates will be added as and when they become available.
MCPS website
PRS website
Application form for composers/writers to become a member of the MCPS
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