Karen James, who runs the Severn View Inn, said she was charged £17.57 for the carol concert after PPL PRS reviewed live music activity listed on the pub’s Facebook page.
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James said the event took place last December and involved a local choir singing Christmas carols for residents, including elderly people in the area.
She told The Morning Advertiser (MA) she did not object to paying for music licences where royalties were due, but questioned why a charge had been applied to traditional carols she believed were in the public domain.
She said: “I don’t mind paying, but when they’ve gone to my Facebook account and they’re charging me for a carol concert that a little local choir just in the road did for me, who’s getting the royalties for that?
“It’s only a few quid for the carol concert, but I did it as a charity event. I put on my own mince pies, it was for a lot of the elderly people around the area, and it just annoys me.”
‘It’s the principle’
James said the pub had been charged £219.60 plus VAT for 15 live music sessions, equating to £17.57 per session including VAT.
She said she was disputing three of those sessions, including the carol concert, a performance by a regular who plays his own music and a local jazz act she said performed original or improvised music.
James added: “It’s not a massive amount. It’s the principle. I feel that it is extortion. I requested an exact breakdown of where my money is going for Christmas hymns.”
The operator said the dispute had put her off hosting similar carol events this Christmas.
She said: “Why should I put another carol concert on so they charge me again? I’m really not happy. If I knew that the money was genuinely going to the people, that would be different.”
Community events
James, who said she had been at the Severn View Inn for 22 years and already paid “a couple of grand” a year in music licensing, called for clearer guidance for pubs hosting small community events.
She added: “The Government needs to be looking into what they’re doing and what they’re charging for. There needs to be proper guidelines in place.”
PPL PRS administers TheMusicLicence, which covers the public performance of music in venues including pubs and bars.
The MA has contacted PPL PRS for comment.
