In its Q1 distribution today, PPL will pay £61.3 million to more than 25,000 performers and recording rightsholders, including £28.1 million of international money – the third highest quarterly international distribution in PPL’s history.

The £28.1 million is made up of revenues collected from 63 CMOs around the world, with significant payments from CMOs in Germany, the USA and Italy. This distribution also contains money from the Netherlands’ STAP for the first time.

A year on from the first lockdown, this distribution brings PPL’s total distributed monies during the pandemic to £308.8 million, delivering important support to its members and, indirectly, those of other CMOs during an incredibly tough time for the industry.

PPL is a global leader in collecting performance rights overseas, helping tens of thousands of performers and recording rightsholders maximise royalty income for their work. It has more than 100 agreements in place with CMOs across Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America, ensuring its mandating members’ rights are represented in many of the world’s biggest music markets. The company has also invested heavily in cutting-edge technology that further improves data accuracy and processing, helping revenues reach recorded music creators more efficiently.

Peter Leathem, PPL Chief Executive Officer said: “PPL fully established its International collections operation in 2006, and since then has distributed hundreds of millions of pounds to our mandating members for the use of their recorded music overseas. Each year our team of neighbouring rights experts work with CMOs around the world to maximise the global recorded music royalty revenues we collect and distribute each quarter. Today’s payment reflects the quality of our operations and the popularity of our members’ repertoire – it is one of the highest quarterly distribution totals in our history and brings the total paid out over the pandemic to £308.8 million.”