1person+ business working from home? Then you're in radio debt....

I have watched this story unfold for a while, but when it reached The Sun this morning - time to blog!

The Performing Rights Society is a charity which represents the rights of music writers, artistes and record companies, and collects monies due from use of copyrighted music. I am sure many can understand why they need to exist, and what a good job they do in protecting the rights of these people - like actors, only around 1 in 10 makes anything above £20,000 a year. I am also sure that many will have heard the debates before on CD copying and MP3 download distribution, but as long as its only for your own personal use and not for distribution or public performance, you are generally OK at present.

However, they now have a new target - cold calling businesses. On the basis of a "survey" (so getting around CTPS), they are ringing all business in the form of a music and audio survey. The third party bureau they have employed asks if you have radios or CD players within the work environment, and if so how often you listen to them ....... and once you say "yes" to just having a radio, then they demand a fee from £97 for a 2person business in your home, to a sum of above £500 for a charity shop - and beyond in some cases. So, you're a therapist who works from home, who has a CD player in the background for restful music - that will be £250 please. Might also like to check your music on hold license, because that's a similar fee.

I think the PRS do a great job protecting the rights of writers, performers and record labels; and in investing in new talent - I just personally wish they hadn't used some of that money to find such "talents" as Westlife or Joe Dulche......! However, the problem in this case is not that a fee is due - the laws the law; its the way they are going about it without explaining to the business community what the law is. If they went along or distributed media to Chambers of Commerce, networking groups or online business communities, then I think the "problem" would be the flood of enquiries and resultant cheques - and not negative publicity.