Host demands PRS refund
Licensee has 10 days to compile song list
An irate licensee has demanded a refund on his music licence fee because bands that play at his pub do not play covers.
Mike Bell said he failed to see why he should pay for a Performing Right Society (PRS) licence when only original music is played.
The PRS, which collects musicians' royalties, has given Bell 10 days to compile a list of acts and song lists planned for the whole of 2008.
Bell, of the Portobello Gold in London's Notting Hill, criticised this request as "totally unreasonable".
After having to compile a retrospective list of acts and songs for 2007, he claimed only a handful of covers were played. Therefore he withheld payment of £282.49 for part of the licence fee. He has since paid the money, but is seeking legal advice on obtaining a refund.
"Once a week the Portobello Gold showcases emerging singer-songwriting talent and neither our customers nor ourselves are interested in how they perform other people's songs," he said.
A PRS spokesman said: "The PRS requests set lists of songs from premises with live music in order to pay the creators of music royalties each time a piece of their music is played in public.
"By buying a PRS music licence you have access to 10 million pieces of music and at a competitive rate. The PRS only wishes to charge for the correct level of music usage and we will always aim to determine this with the customer."
