PPL Repertoire

[shad]

started setting up a radio station to webcast house music. I have arranged for a PPL license etc, however when I checked the PPL Repertoire database for dance tracks I could hardly find any of the tracks I want to broadcast ? Is this me missing something or is that a lot of dance producers dont bother to register with PPL ? Does this mean I have to go to each every producer to ask if its ok to play their tracks, how do all the house radio station managed to broadcast ?


advice would be much appreciated, cheers

 

[Support]

Perhaps some of our PPL users who have gone through the process could clarify this for shad ?

 

[HoddzDJ]

PPL is a very complicated service, and does mainly cover the Billboard 100 in the US and the UK Top 40 in the UK. Obviously, it's great to have a license, but if many of the artists are not on there then you're paying the wrong people!!

How much are you paying for the this right? It may work out easier for you to contact a few electro labels and ask if you can buy rights for x amount of days to play their music, it could work out cheaper too!! Then, if the PPL guys do come after you then you can say that you have been given *WRITTEN* (make sure they send you a signed letter, through the post, not email) permission to play their tracks!!

That keeps you on the right side of the law... it's what I do for my station anyway, seeing as UK Hardcore isn't anywhere to be seen on PPL!!

 

[shad]

thanks Ben, makes sense

I have ordered the cheapest PPL small webcaster licencse, it will be around £200

I think like you say I will contact labels and producers directly, they may be happy for the promotion they get from being played on the radio, after time hopefully I will build up a good relationship with them

cheers for the reply

 

[HoddzDJ]

No worries!! I think it will work out better for you to do that than pay the £200 and then have to pay each label on-top of that as they are not covered under the PPL. It seems a bit arse backwards, but it's the law and that is sometimes the way it works.

We work our station that way, we don't pay a penny to PPL simply because all of the music we play is covered by contacting a few labels and getting our music that way, aswell as 'promotional' stuff that you can always play anyway!! Just make sure you get them to send you a singed letter as proof, otherwise you have no leg to stand on if they ever take legal action against you.

 

[shad]

will do, cheers Ben, know what you mean, will make sure I get letters from the labels

they dont make it easy to play non commercial music

all the best with your station !