Gigs & business
PRS
PRS for Music is a UK collecting society that licenses the public performance of compositions and distributes the money to writers and publishers. Venues hold the licence; the DJ playing there does not need one.
In practice
In the UK the venue holds the licence, not the DJ. If you write music, this is also how you get paid.
PRS covers the composition and PPL covers the recording, and most UK venues hold both through a combined licence. Reporting varies: some venues and events submit setlists, which is how plays are attributed rather than estimated, and submitting yours when asked helps writers who are frequently not on a chart. If you produce, register your works with the relevant society for your country — none of this happens automatically. Every sentence here describes the UK position as of 2026; other countries have their own societies and their own rules.
The venue
Who holds the licence
PRS + PPL
Composition and recording
Register
What producers have to do
Where these come from: Describes the UK collective-licensing structure as of 2026. Not legal advice; other territories have different societies, licences and obligations. For what we can measure, see where the money actually goes.
Why it matters
This is the single most common misunderstanding in the area, and the answer is reassuring: in the UK a club, bar or festival holds the licences that cover music played on its premises. Turning up and playing records in a licensed venue is not something a DJ needs their own permission for.
Where it becomes relevant to you is on the other side. If you write or release music, the same system is what pays you when someone else plays it, and registering your works is how that money finds you rather than sitting unallocated.
Frequently asked
Does a DJ need a PRS licence?+
In the UK, no — the venue holds the licence covering music played on its premises. What you play there is covered by their licence rather than by one of your own.
What is the difference between PRS and PPL?+
PRS licenses the composition on behalf of writers and publishers; PPL licenses the recording on behalf of performers and labels. Most UK venues hold both.
Does this apply outside the UK?+
The structure is similar in many countries but the societies, licences and obligations differ. Check the position where you are playing rather than assuming the UK answer travels.
Related terms
Royalties
Royalties are payments to rights holders for the use of music. Different uses generate different kinds — public performance, broadcast, streaming, reproduction — and each flows through its own system to a different set of people.
Copyright
A recorded track carries at least two separate copyrights: one in the composition — the notes and words — and one in the specific recording. They are frequently owned by different people, and both apply at once.
Mix licensing
A recorded DJ mix contains other people’s recordings and compositions, so putting it online is a use that needs permission. Some platforms hold blanket licences covering it; others do not, and the difference decides what happens.
Promoter
A promoter books the acts, hires the room, sells the tickets and carries the financial risk of a night. They decide who plays, in what order, and for how long.
Explore: Can you release a mashup · Royalties · Copyright · All DJ terms