PPL

PPL is a collective management organisation for recorded music. Founded in 1934 by Decca Records and EMI to close a gap in performer compensation, it licenses recorded music for public performance and broadcast and distributes the resulting royalties to performers and recording rightsholders. The organisation represents more than 150,000 performers and recording rightsholders and pays out nearly £280 million to members each year.

Its principal services are UK music licensing - covering recorded music used by radio, TV, online platforms and public venues - and an international collections service that gathers royalties from music licensing bodies worldwide on behalf of members. The work rests on music rights data management, rights and royalties data matching, and international royalty collections.

PPL's technical remit extends beyond its own operations. It has taken part in every significant collaborative global data initiative for sound recording rights over the past 20 years. The organisation describes its purpose as fair pay and fair reward for music creators, and works through strategic partnerships including the PRS Foundation, which supports emerging talent.