PRS and payments to small artists

Subject: PRS and payments to small artists
From: Nick
Date: 17 Oct 10 - 06:08 AM

I was playing in a session at the Maltings in York some time ago and a chap arrived at about the same time and made it known that he was visiting to take a note of what was played for the night. Apart from the slightly starange reaction of some of the people present who reacted as though he was either a member of the KGB, CIA or MI5, it was an interesting experience.

Every tune was diligently written down and recorded. Because of the nature of the session which is mostly English Traditional and Irish Traditional with some odds and ends thrown in noone is going to get rich from the evening :)!

While we were having a break and people were partaking of the rather fine chips that are provided I asked him whether, theoretically, if I sang a song that the money would find it's way back to the source and he said, theoretically, 'yes'.

So I sang Pete Ryder's song called 'Nat Shapiro's Time' gave him all the details and hopefully one day Mr Ryder will be suitably recompensed. I wonder if it actually works?

As an aside I did ask him how he got the job and - like with many weid and wonderful jobs - it was advertised in The Guardian. Better than minimum wage and travel and EXPENSES paid for. Hmmm now there's an interesting part time job for the future - going to the pub for the evening, listening to music and getting paid for it ...

Subject: RE: PRS and payments to small artists
From: GUEST,The Shambles
Date: 17 Oct 10 - 06:28 AM

This thread title is sizeist............

Subject: RE: PRS and payments to small artists
From: GUEST,alan whittle
Date: 17 Oct 10 - 06:54 AM

the prs moves in a mysterious way -its wonders to perform. You don't see the representatives very often. sounds like a near perfect sighting of a rare breed.

Pete has to be member and he has to have registered the work. That said - he should get something eventually.

Subject: RE: PRS and payments to small artists
From: Nick
Date: 17 Oct 10 - 07:08 AM

It was no offence to Pete Ryder I assure you who I have huge respect for and I love his song which is why I sing it too much!

The last PRS person I saw visited the Blacksmiths Arms in Farlington (ex Sam Smiths pub) a little while after all the TVs and music was removed, some 5 years ago.

Probably are a rare breed. Good job though.

Subject: RE: PRS and payments to small artists
From: autoharpbob
Date: 17 Oct 10 - 09:39 AM

I had that job for about a year after quitting teaching. Had to pass a test to get it, identifying music clips from rap to classical. Gave it up as I was at times quite fearful for my safety. And had too many late nights and heard too many pub singers murdering songs, mostly the Mavericks "Dance the night away". Most performers were very helpful and understood what I was about. It was the punters in the pubs and clubs who wanted to lynch me. One reason that I never actually got to sample a folk club was that the assumption seemed to be that a lot of PD stuff would be played/sang in these, and our time would be better spent noting down the more commercial stuff. The corollary of that of course is that Pete Ryder and all the other great writers in our genre would be vastly under-recorded and under-paid, while the people who are already raking it in from record sales raked in a little bit more. No such thing as a perfect system.

Subject: RE: PRS and payments to small artists
From: r.padgett
Date: 17 Oct 10 - 04:01 PM

Im under 5ft 4inch

Still don't undersrand PRS no doubt like everyone else

But then you have to join 'em to get it, I suppose

Ray

Subject: RE: PRS and payments to small artists
From: Smokey.
Date: 17 Oct 10 - 04:13 PM

I joined the PRS when someone recorded a tune of mine and used it as the title track of their CD. It cost £100 to join, and despite the fact that the tune got played at a fair number of UK festivals and clubs I've only ever earned 75 pence in royalties. Unfortunately they don't actually pay out amounts less than £1. I think I must be too tall to write music.

Subject: RE: PRS and payments to small artists
From: GUEST,Hannah
Date: 18 Oct 10 - 09:33 AM

Just come across your blog post - I write and perform my own material, so far on a relatively small scale - but have made some fairly decent money from PRS (my most recent quarterly payment was for £500). I have my songs registered and every time they get played on the radio, the station will send the details to PRS. National radio play is worth about £70-£80 if you are unsigned and unpublished! Every time I play a gig, I send them my set list. The smaller gigs tend to pay about £5 but the larger ones and even small festivals can pay £50 - £100 each.

I also paid £100 to join but it is now free - they simply take the first £10 of royalties due to you out of your first payment. The minimum payment is £50.

Subject: RE: PRS and payments to small artists
From: Linda Kelly
Date: 18 Oct 10 - 11:07 AM

I am not a member of the PRS because I do not earn my living from my songs nor ever intend to do so. I have no problems with it supporting those who do wish to do so.

Subject: RE: PRS and payments to small artists
From: Linda Kelly
Date: 18 Oct 10 - 11:07 AM

p.s I am five foot nine.

Subject: RE: PRS and payments to small artists
From: My guru always said
Date: 18 Oct 10 - 01:29 PM

LOL Linda!

Over the past few years I've occasionally included a friend's song in my sets at festivals. He always mentions to me that he knows when I've sung it as he receives a few pennies via PRS. A good singer-songwriter, but not well-known (yet) so I suppose you could call hime a small artist. (he's definitely over 6ft though)

Subject: RE: PRS and payments to small artists
From: Alan Day
Date: 18 Oct 10 - 01:48 PM

We had a discussion a little while ago about the heavy handed attitude of PRS and it is more likely that the representative was there to hit the Maltings rather than to register what was being performed.
You are one inch taller than me Linda
I know my place !
Al

Subject: RE: PRS and payments to small artists
From: GUEST,The Shambles
Date: 18 Oct 10 - 05:47 PM

CAPTION: 'ARCHAEOLOGY TODAY'

Interview set for archaeology program. Chairman and two guests sit in chair in front of a blow-up of an old cracked pot.

Interviewer Hello. On 'Archaeology Today' tonight I have with me Professor Lucien Kastner of Oslo University.
Kastner Good evening.
Interviewer How tall are you, professor?
Kastner ... I beg your pardon?
Interviewer How tall are you?
Kastner I'm about five foot ten.
Interviewer ... and an expert in Egyptian tomb paintings. Sir Robert... (turning to Kastner) are you really five foot ten?
Kastner Yes.
Interviewer Funny, you look much shorter than that to me. Are you slumped forward in your chair at all?
Kastner No, er I...
Interviewer Extraordinary. Sir Robert Eversley, who's just returned from the excavations in El Ara, and you must be well over six foot. Isn't that right, Sir Robert?
Sir Robert (puzzled) Yes.
Interviewer In fact, I think you're six foot five aren't you?
Sir Robert Yes.
Applause from off. Sir Robert looks up in amazement.
Interviewer Oh, that's marvelous. I mean you're a totally different kind of specimen to Professor Kastner. Straight in your seat, erect, firm.
Sir Robert Yes. I thought we were here to discuss archaeology.
Interviewer Yes, yes, of course we are, yes, absolutely, you're absolutely right! That's positive thinking for you. (to Kastner) You wouldn't have said a thing like that, would you? You five-foot-ten weed. (he turns his back very ostentatiously on Kastner) Sir Robert Eversley, who's very interesting, what have you discovered in the excavations at El Ara?
Sir Robert (picking up a beautiful ancient vase) Well basically we have found a complex of tombs...
Interviewer Very good speaking voice.
Sir Robert ... which present dramatic evidence of Polynesian influence in Egypt in the third dynasty which is quite remarkable.
Interviewer How tall were the Polynesians?
Kastner They were...
Interviewer Sh!
Sir Robert Well, they were rather small, seafaring...
Interviewer Short men, were they... eh? All squat and bent up?
Sir Robert Well, I really don't know about that...
Interviewer Who were the tall people?
Sir Robert I'm afraid I don't know.
Interviewer Who's that very tall tribe in Africa?
Sir Robert Well, this is hardly archaeology.
Interviewer The Watutsi! That's it - the Watutsi! Oh, that's the tribe, some of them were eight foot tall. Can you imagine that. Eight foot of Watutsi. Not one on another's shoulders, oh no - eight foot of solid Watutsi. That's what I call tall.
Sir Robert Yes, but it's nothing to do with archaeology.
Interviewer (knocking Sir Robert's vase to the floor) Oh to hell with archaeology!
Kastner Can I please speak! I came all the way from Oslo to do this program! I'm a professor of archaeology. I'm an expert in ancient civilizations. All right, I'm only five foot ten. All right my posture is bad, all right I slump in my chair. But I've had more women than either of you two! I've had half bloody Norway, that's what I've had! So you can keep your Robert Eversley! And you can keep your bloody Watutsi! I'd rather have my little body... my little five-foot-ten-inch body... (he breaks down sobbing)
Sir Robert Bloody fool. Look what you've done to him.
Interviewer Don't bloody fool me.
Sir Robert I'll do what I like, because I'm six foot five and I eat punks like you for breakfast.
Sir Robert floors the interviewer with a mighty punch. Interviewer looks up rubbing his jaw.
Interviewer I'll get you for that, Eversley! I'll get you if I have to travel to the four corners of the earth!
Crash of music. Music goes into theme and film titles as for a Western.

Subject: RE: PRS and payments to small artists
From: autoharpbob
Date: 19 Oct 10 - 07:19 AM

Love it Shambles!

But have to defend the PRS Alan - when I did the job, I was only sent to venues that had paid their fees, that had no problems, so I was never used to "hit" any venue.