Guides / How royalties work
How music royalties work in the UK
Last reviewed 30 October 2026
There is no single place your music money comes from. In the UK there are four, and each one only pays out if the right person has registered the right thing with it.
1. The map: four places money comes from
Every track carries two copyrights: the song and the recording. Each one earns in two ways, and each of those ways has its own collector:
| The song (composition) | The recording (master) | |
|---|---|---|
| Played, broadcast, performed | PRS | PPL |
| Copied, sold, streamed | MCPS, plus PRS for streams | Your distributor or label |
If you wrote the song and own the recording, which is normal for a self-released track, you are owed money from all four.
2. PRS: when the song is performed or broadcast
PRS collects for the songwriters and publishers whenever a song is played on the radio or TV, streamed online, or performed live, and whenever it is played in a shop, bar, gym or club that holds a music licence. It pays writers directly.
- Who can join: anyone who owns the copyright in a song they wrote. You do not need a publisher or a label.
- Cost: a one-off £100 to join as a writer, at the time of writing. PRS has offered a reduced rate for under-25s, so check the join page.
- What you then do: register each song you write, with every co-writer and their share. PRS cannot pay for a song it does not know about.
- If shares are missing: PRS's policy is that if the split between writer and publisher is not specified, it defaults to 50% writer, 50% publisher.
- Playing live? Report your setlists. Gigs earn performance royalties too.
3. MCPS: when the song is copied
MCPS collects mechanical royalties, money for making copies of a song. That covers CDs, vinyl, downloads, and part of every stream. It is run by PRS for Music alongside PRS, but it is a separate society with a separate membership.
- Cost: a further one-off £100 for writers, at the time of writing.
- Do you need it? If you have a publisher, they normally collect your mechanicals, so you usually do not. If you are self-published, PRS says MCPS membership is worth considering once your music is released on CD, vinyl or as a download. For unpublished music, MCPS pays 100% of the mechanical royalty to the writers who are members.
4. PPL: when the recording is played in public
PPL is the recording's equivalent of PRS. It licenses recorded music when it is broadcast on radio and TV or played in public places, and pays two groups:
- Recording rightsholders, whoever owns the master. Register each recording with its ISRC and payments start when it is broadcast or played in public.
- Performers, everyone who played or sang on it, featured or session. Register as a performer, then claim the recordings you are on.
A self-releasing artist who performed on their own master should do both. PPL pays out for UK use twice a year, in June and December.
Key takeawayWriting the song gets you PRS (and maybe MCPS). Owning or playing on the recording gets you PPL. Releasing the recording gets you paid by your distributor. They are separate, so register with each one that applies.
5. Your distributor: sales and streams of the recording
When Spotify, Apple Music and the rest pay for streams of a recording, the master owner's share goes to whoever delivered the release, your distributor or label. The distributor passes it on to the account that uploaded the release, minus any fee or commission it takes.
Your distributor pays one account, not your collaborators. If the master is shared, sharing that money out is between you. Some distributors can pay a share straight to collaborators, but only if you set it up. Agree the master split in writing before release.
6. Where a stream's money goes
One stream in the UK earns on both sides at once:
- The recording's share goes from the streaming service to your distributor, then to you.
- The song's share is licensed by PRS for Music. Under its own policy, the UK money for on-demand streaming is split 50/50 between the performing right (PRS) and the mechanical right (MCPS) before it is paid to writers and publishers.
That is why a writer who is not registered with PRS is missing money on every stream of their song, even if their distributor pays them perfectly.
7. Who registers what
| You are… | Register with |
|---|---|
| A songwriter or topliner | PRS. MCPS if self-published and releasing copies |
| The owner of the master | Your distributor, and PPL as a recording rightsholder |
| A performer on the recording | PPL as a performer |
| A producer who co-wrote | PRS for your writing share. PPL if you performed or co-own the master |
| A session musician | PPL as a performer |
8. Outside the UK
Every country has its own societies. PRS and PPL have agreements with societies abroad, so your UK membership can collect for you overseas. If you live elsewhere you join your own country's societies instead. For example:
- United States: ASCAP, BMI, SESAC or GMR for performance; The MLC for streaming mechanicals; SoundExchange for digital performance of recordings.
- Ireland: IMRO. Canada: SOCAN. Australia and New Zealand: APRA AMCOS. Germany: GEMA. France: SACEM.
Every registration starts with the same question: who did what on this track? On Collabspot each collaborator signs off on their own credit, so that question is answered before you fill in a single form.
Try Collabspot freeSources
- PRS for Music, Join PRS for Music
- PRS for Music, How much does it cost to join?
- PRS for Music, Music registration policy
- PRS for Music, PRS distribution policy: online
- PPL, December 2025 distribution
- PPL, How do I ensure accurate PPL payments?
This guide explains how royalties generally work in the UK. It is not legal, tax or financial advice. Fees and policies change, so check with PRS for Music and PPL before you join. For a contract or a dispute, talk to a music solicitor.