When Should You Join PRS? A Q&A with Stuart Fleming Ahead of PRS Members' Day in Belfast

By Written by Peter McVeigh

PRS’s Stuart Fleming explains when songwriters should join, how playing your own unreleased songs live at licensed venues can already be generating PRS royalties, and what to expect at PRS Members’ Day in Belfast on 10 November.

Plenty of independent songwriters wait until the radio starts playing their songs, or until they have released something commercially, before they think about royalties. By then they may have been owed money for a while. I have been telling anyone who will listen about the benefits of joining PRS and MCPS as an independent songwriter or publisher, so when PRS announced a Members' Day in Belfast, I asked Stuart Fleming a few questions.

Stuart is a Senior Relationship Manager at PRS for Music, looking after Irish and Scottish writer members. Below is our Q&A, followed by the details of the day itself.

PRS Members' Day in Belfast: the details

PRS Members' Day at Sound of Belfast takes place on Tuesday 10 November 2026 at the Oh Yeah Music Centre, Belfast (BT1 2LG), from 1:30pm to 7:00pm. It is free to attend and open to PRS members and non-members, so it is a good chance to ask questions before you decide to join.

You need to register in advance: Register for PRS Members' Day on Ticket Tailor.

The day, as listed on the booking page at the time of writing:

Time: What: Details

1:30pm: Doors open and networking: Registration and a chance to meet other writers, artists and industry people.

2:30pm: Panel: Grow your career with PRS for Music: PRS staff on how the organisation supports music creators and members.

3:30pm: Comfort break:

3:45pm: Panel: Get seen, heard and paid: The data that powers your career: Music rights, royalty flows and metadata. Moderated by Mark Gordon (Score Draw Music). Panellists: Crispin Hunt (President, PRS Member Council), Catherine Grimes (music supervisor, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast and Blue Lights), Eoin O'Callaghan (NI Music Prize winner 2019, composer on BBC's Blue Lights) and Aine Cronin-McCartney (BBC Radio 1 and BBC Introducing Ulster).

5:00pm: PRS Foundation drinks reception: Meet the PRS Foundation team, who run the funding programmes.

Evening: Scratch My Progress showcase: Live music from artists on PRS's Northern Ireland talent development programme.

Times and speakers can change, so check the booking page before you go.

Who is Stuart Fleming, and what does he do at PRS?

I started by asking Stuart about his background.

"My background was as a writer and producer, but I found myself working on the business side almost by accident. I ended up moving down to London and working at a major label aged 20, although that was never my plan. I moved back to Scotland and worked freelance for an indie label and publisher, as well as tour managing and crewing with bands. I also ran a small indie-folk collective in Dundee, working with acoustic artists for a while. My role at PRS is Senior Relationship Manager for our Irish and Scottish writer members."

What can people expect from the day?

"PRS hosts these member days two or three times each year and moves them around various cities. We had one of our first in Belfast four years ago. In part, it is an opportunity to network and meet other songwriters, artists and industry figures. We have two panels. One explores how various parts of the PRS business work for our writer and publisher members. The second will examine maximising writer income, and in particular why your metadata is so important.

"We are really excited to have Aine Cronin-McCartney from BBC Radio 1, music supervisor Catherine Grimes and composer Eoin O'Callaghan join our President of the Member Council, Crispin Hunt, in conversation with Mark Gordon of Score Draw Music, as their breadth of experience and knowledge is very special.

"Aside from that, songwriters will have an opportunity to meet the PRS Members' Fund staff, and the PRS Foundation, who are hosting a drinks reception as part of the day. Charlene Hegarty of the Musicians' Union will also be at the event. It is important that anyone attending signs up in advance."

How often is PRS in Northern Ireland, and why does it matter?

I mentioned that Stuart and I cross paths quite often, particularly at Output and the Northern Ireland Music Prize.

"I have been coming to Northern Ireland for music events since the late 1990s. It is no secret that Belfast is one of my favourite cities in Europe, and I spend a lot of time encouraging my peers in Scotland to visit for the vibrant live music scene. Generally, I would say I am over between four and six times each year, sometimes more depending on events."

Beyond collecting royalties, what else does PRS offer?

"PRS is an integral part of the wider music industry and a not-for-profit organisation. We can be there for our members at each stage of their career without any vested interest. We offer free advice sessions through programmes such as Scratch My Progress, run networking events of our own, and sponsor events such as Output, where we can help third-party organisations showcase emerging PRS members.

"The priority will always be to make sure our members maximise their royalty income, but we do offer much more career advice and development over and above that."

When should a songwriter join PRS, and is there a reason to wait?

This is the question I hear most, so it is worth reading Stuart's answer carefully.

"It varies from person to person and their circumstances. Generally, if you are performing your own songs or compositions live at a reasonable number of gigs, no matter the level, it is going to be worth joining PRS. Those venues are licensed, and each time your set is played, PRS royalties accrue. So, for gigging writers, I would say as soon as you start playing live, PRS membership should be on your radar.

"Those songs do not need to be released at all, as we collect for the public performance of the song. Clearly, if you are also getting radio play and streaming of your music, that is even more reason to join PRS."

What about funding and support for songwriters in Northern Ireland?

"The funding side of PRS is generally managed by PRS Foundation, who will be joining us at our Members' Day, which is even more reason to come down to meet them and find out about their many programmes for funding the creation of new music."

One piece of advice for an independent songwriter?

"Do not assume anything. Take some level of interest and control of your own affairs and business. No matter how boring or uncreative it might sound, you need to keep a percentage of your mind aside for the business of your music to build a successful career."

What this means for your songs

A few practical points to take from the conversation.

Live performance counts. PRS pays for the public performance of your songs, and your music does not need to be released for that to apply. If you play your own songs at licensed venues, you have a reason to look at membership.

Joining PRS is not the same as joining MCPS. PRS deals with performing rights. MCPS deals with copying and reproduction, for example when music is released on a record or downloaded. Many writers end up joining both. Our UK music royalties explained guide covers the difference.

Registration is what gets you paid. A song that is not registered, or is registered with the wrong details, is hard to match to the right writers. Our guides on registering with PRS and on tunecodes walk through the steps.

Metadata is money. The second panel on the day is about the data that powers royalties, and Stuart called out metadata in his answers. Correct titles, writers and splits give PRS the best chance of paying the right people.

If you play live, report your setlists. See our guide on getting paid when you play live.

Ask questions. The day is free and open to non-members, which makes it a low-risk way to speak to PRS and PRS Foundation staff in person.

Thank you to Stuart for his time.

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