It sounds like the bureaucrats have decided to get serious about collecting their PEL fees. Too bad. Just another way of generating tax revenue.

In the US we don't have those fees, generally - but places that allow performances are subject to publishing restrictions. As we saw here at Mudcat, the 'publisher police' from each of the major publishing organizations pressure performance venues to become due paying members of their organizations. That means, if I own a club, and I let other people perform there, and those people perform copyright protected, published works of other people - then I am bound to pay a fee for the performance of each song. In short, if I am a member of ASCAP, BMI or some other publishing organization - then I am probably covered for payment of the fees through my annual dues. Seems complex and cumbersome - but it is apparently the best way we've worked out to pay authors for the right to play their music.

Does the PEL tax/license cover the same sort of thing, perhaps?