PRS vs PPL: What Is the Difference and Do You Need Both?
By Written by Peter McVeigh
PRS pays for the song. PPL pays for the recording. Here is what each one collects, who gets paid, what it costs to join, and which you need as a songwriter, a performer or a self-releasing artist.
PRS and PPL are two of the most confused names in UK music. Both collect royalties, both pay four times a year, and both turn up when you release a record. But they pay for different things and pay different people, and plenty of artists are registered with one when they should be with both. This guide sets out the difference in plain terms, using each organisation's own published information, checked on 20 October 2026.
The short version
A recorded song contains two separate pieces of copyright. There is the song, meaning the music and the lyrics. And there is the recording, meaning the particular performance captured on the track.
PRS for Music collects for the song. It represents songwriters, composers and music publishers. PPL collects for the recording. It represents recording rightsholders, such as record companies and self-releasing artists, and the performers who played on the track.
PPL puts it the same way on its own site. PRS collects for songwriters, composers and music publishers, while PPL collects for recording rightsholders and performers. They are two separate, independent companies with different licences and terms.
Side by side
: PRS for Music: PPL
What it covers: The song: music and lyrics: The recording and the performances on it
Who it pays: Songwriters, composers, publishers: Recording rightsholders and performers (featured and session)
Cost to join: One-off £100 (£30 if under 25) for writers: Free
Payments: Main distributions in April, July, October and December, plus monthly payments for online streaming: Four times a year, the main UK payment in June
Where the money comes from: Broadcast, live and public performance, and online streaming: Radio and TV broadcast, and recordings played in public in the UK
The fees and dates above are from each organisation's own pages. They can change, so check before you rely on them.
What PRS pays for
PRS collects when songs are broadcast on TV or radio, performed or played in public (live or from a recording) and streamed or downloaded online. Writers join for a one-off fee of £100, or £30 if they are under 25, and PRS says you should consider joining when you are likely to earn more than £100 in royalties over a year, which covers the joining fee.
Its main distributions are in April, July, October and December. PRS also makes monthly payments for online streaming services. MCPS, the sister society for copying and reproduction, is a separate membership with its own fee. Our guide on what MCPS actually pays covers that side.
What PPL pays for
PPL collects when recorded music is played in public or broadcast. That means radio and TV, workplaces and venues, and some online uses such as internet radio. It then pays the recording rightsholder and the performers.
Registering is free. You can register as a performer, as a recording rightsholder, or both. A self-releasing artist who owns their own masters is a rightsholder. If you also played on the track, you are a performer too. Recording rightsholders register their recordings in PPL's member portal, myPPL, and performers link themselves to the recordings they played on.
One point catches people out. PPL does not manage every right in a recording. Its own site says it does not handle the on-demand streaming of specific tracks, for example on Spotify. That money goes through your distributor, not PPL.
How PPL splits the money
For money from licensing recordings that are broadcast or played in public, PPL says that, after costs, one half goes to the recording rightsholder and the other half goes to the performers who qualify. This performer share is sometimes called equitable remuneration. Where the money is for an activity where performers have no right to royalties, such as copying a track, all of it goes to the rightsholder.
If several performers are listed on a recording, the performer share is divided according to an agreement between them or PPL's Performer Allocation Policy. That is why session musicians should make sure they are linked to the tracks they played on.
PPL pays four times a year. In 2026 the main UK payment was on 30 June, covering use of recordings during 2025, with an adjustment payment on 17 December. It can also collect internationally, through agreements with societies in over 50 countries. Members opt in to that, and it is paid quarterly.
Do you need both?
It depends on what you do on a track.
You write songs but do not perform on recordings or own any masters: PRS (and MCPS). PPL is not for you.
You are a session musician, playing on other people's recordings and not writing: PPL as a performer. PRS only if you also wrote part of the song.
You write, record, own the masters and perform on your own releases: PRS and MCPS for the song, and PPL as both rightsholder and performer for the recording. PPL says that if you are a rightsholder, composer, lyricist and performer on a recording, you may need to register with both PPL and PRS.
You run a label or own recordings: PPL as a rightsholder.
Businesses that play recorded music in public or broadcast it generally need a licence from both, because both bodies license different rights in the same music. That is also why the two statements for the same track can show different usage. They are counting different things.
What to do next
Look at your last release. Write down whether you wrote it, performed on it and own the recording. Then check each box has the matching registration: PRS and MCPS for the writing, PPL for the recording and performance. Registering with PPL is free, so there is no cost to doing it today. For the steps, see our guides on how to register with PRS and how to register with PPL, and the wider picture in UK music royalties explained.
Sources
PPL, Getting started with royalties: https://www.ppluk.com/royalties/getting-started-with-royalties/
PPL, How royalties are calculated: https://www.ppluk.com/royalties/how-royalties-are-calculated/
PPL, Royalty payment dates: https://www.ppluk.com/royalties/royalty-payment-dates/
PPL, What is PRS for Music and do I need a separate licence from them?: https://www.ppluk.com/help-centre/faq/what-is-prs-for-music-and-do-i-need-a-separate-licence-from-them/
PRS for Music, Join PRS: https://www.prsformusic.com/music-and-royalties/join
PRS for Music, Royalty payment dates: https://www.prsformusic.com/music-and-royalties/royalties-payments/royalty-payment-dates
PRS for Music, MCPS page: https://www.prsformusic.com/what-we-do/mcps