PPL PRS letter · UK
Take a breath. On first contact it is generally not a fine, a court order, or a criminal charge — it is the opening of a commercial process, and you have more than one legitimate way to respond.
What it actually is
PPL represents record labels and performers; PRS for Music represents songwriters and composers. Together, as PPL PRS Ltd, they sell TheMusicLicence — the combined licence most UK businesses need to play mainstream commercial music in public. Their letters, invoices, calls, and visits go to venues they believe are playing music: salons, barbershops, cafes, restaurants, shops, gyms, clinics, hotels.
The claim in the letter is a starting position, not proof. You are entitled to ask, in writing, which repertoire they believe you use and how any figure was calculated. What loses you ground is silence: ignored letters escalate to firmer letters, invoices, chasing calls, and eventually legal action. Respond in writing, keep records of exactly what you play, and choose one of the routes below.
Your options
If your venue plays mainstream commercial music — radio, chart tracks, consumer streaming playlists, live acts — a licence usually does apply, and paying it is the straightforward, fully legitimate route. For a small venue it is approximately £238–£335+/year + VAT depending on venue type and size.
Right for you if you want to keep playing exactly what you play today.
If music genuinely is not worth the cost to your business, you can stop playing it and say so in writing. Silence needs no licence. Most owners find the room feels wrong within a week — but it is a real option, and stating it honestly is better than ignoring the letter.
Right for you if music was incidental anyway.
Sonosfera is a catalogue made for venues and positioned outside collecting-society repertoire. Switch your playback to the Sonosfera catalogue, then reply to the letter in writing with your account certificate — a record of eligible Sonosfera catalogue playback. Switching changes things from the day you switch onward; it never erases a licence you genuinely owed for music already played, and anything else you still play (radio, consumer streaming, live acts, DJs) remains a separate check.
Right for you if you want licensed background music without the annual PPL PRS renewal for it.
What not to do: don’t ignore the letter, don’t claim you play no music if you do, and don’t assume a personal Spotify or Apple Music subscription covers a business — consumer accounts are for personal use only, and that mismatch is a common reason venues receive these letters in the first place.
The free decoder reads your specific situation — who wrote, what kind of contact it was — and gives you the same three options in plain language, plus what to put in a written reply. If you decide the switch route fits, the 14-day trial needs no card.
This tool is general information, not legal advice. Rules and enforcement differ by country and by venue, and only you know exactly what you play. Sonosfera is not affiliated with any collecting society or licence body named here and cannot remove a licence obligation for music you have already played. Sonosfera account records cover eligible Sonosfera catalogue playback only. For a specific dispute — especially a large back-payment claim — check your situation with the official body or a qualified adviser.