Press & data

Independent comment on business music licensing.

Music Licence Consulting is an independent UK consultancy that checks PPL PRS “TheMusicLicence” bills for businesses. We’re not affiliated with PPL PRS Ltd, PPL or PRS for Music, so we can explain how the licence is priced from the business owner’s side. Journalists, editors and podcast producers are welcome to get in touch.

Media contact

Email matt@musiclicenceconsulting.com or call 020 8092 0108. Please include your deadline and the publication.

Figures you can quote

From the tariffs PPL, PRS for Music and VPL publish. Please say they’re 2026 rates before VAT and link to the page each one comes from, so readers can check the current edition.

121current tariffs can make up TheMusicLicence: 68 from PPL, 44 from PRS for Music and 9 from VPL for music videos.£450.99a year before VAT for background music in a shop with up to 100m² of audible area in 2026 (PPL shops tariff plus PRS for Music’s ‘RS’ tariff).£204.19a year before VAT is PPL’s 2026 background music fee for pubs, bars, restaurants, cafés and hotels up to 400m². The PRS for Music charge is separate and on top.£299.02a year before VAT is PRS for Music’s 2026 core music fee for a gym or studio under 100m², plus £2.38 for each fitness class from 1 February 2026.50%on top of the standard rate is what the first licence year can cost where music was played before the licence was taken out.

Suggested credit: “Source: Music Licence Consulting, PPL & PRS tariffs 2026 (musiclicenceconsulting.com/tariffs).”

What we can comment on

Tariff changes: What moves when PPL and PRS for Music re-index their tariffs, and what it means for a small business’s next bill.
The first-year higher rate: Why some businesses pay the standard rate plus 50% in their first licence year, and why it shouldn’t carry on after that.
Backdated claims: What a PPL PRS claim for prior use means, and how far back one can reach.
Closing, selling or cutting back: The notice rules for ending or reducing TheMusicLicence, and why owners who close keep getting billed.
Reading a bill: What the PPL PRS Usage Summary shows, and the details (audible area, chairs, capacity) that drive the price.
Sector costs: What pubs, cafés, shops, salons, gyms, offices and community buildings pay, from the published rates.

About Music Licence Consulting

Music Licence Consulting checks PPL PRS TheMusicLicence invoices against the published PPL and PRS for Music tariffs, for single sites and multi-site groups across hospitality, retail, hair and beauty, fitness and offices. It publishes free guides, a cost calculator and a full index of the 2026 tariffs. It is independent and not affiliated with PPL PRS Ltd, PPL or PRS for Music.

Music Licence Consulting Limited is a company registered in England & Wales (no. 17350315). Registered office: Suite A, 82 James Carter Road, Mildenhall, IP28 7DE.

Looking for the full data? Every current tariff, with its effective date and official source, is on the tariffs page. Partners who’d like to link to our guides can see the partner programme.