Pubs, hotels and restaurants triumph in battle over music charges

Pub and other hospitality business owners will be pleased to hear that they could share up to £20 million in refunds after winning a court battle over charges they pay for playing recorded music in their venues.

The case was taken before a copyright tribunal by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), the British Hospitality Association (BHA), and other bodies representing the retail sector.

The tribunal found that the new tariffs introduced by Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL), the company representing record companies and performers, were unreasonably high. According to the Institute of Licensing, the charges meant that fees were made 4 times larger for offenders.

Brigid Simmonds, the Chief Executive at the BBPA, said:

"With the appeal behind us, and pubs already benefiting from the sharply reduced charges, we are now turning our attention to helping pubs to claim the long overdue refunds to which they are entitled."

However, PPL expressed their disappointment at the decision:

"This leaves PPL with tariffs that it believes substantially undervalue the rights of its performer and record company members."