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Performing Rights Organisation · United Kingdom

How to register with PRS for Music.

Register with PRS for Music, the UK's performing rights organization, to collect royalties whenever your compositions are performed, broadcast, or streamed in the UK and worldwide through reciprocal agreements.

⏱ 20–30 minutesPerformance royalties
1

Confirm Publisher Status

If you have a publisher, they may already be registering your works with PRS on your behalf. Confirm before proceeding.


If you have a publisher: Contact them to confirm your works are registered.

If you're independent: Continue with this guide.

Why this matters

If both you and your publisher register the same work, you create conflicting entries that can freeze royalty payments while PRS resolves the dispute.

Common mistake

Assuming independence means no publisher. If you signed with a publishing admin (Songtrust, TuneCore Publishing, CD Baby Pro), they may already handle PRS registrations for you.

2

Join PRS for Music

Apply online via the PRS website. You'll need a valid photo ID (passport, driving licence, or birth certificate).


Costs:

  • £100 one-time PRS admission fee
  • £30 if you are under 25
  • MCPS admission: £100 one-time (strongly recommended — see the MCPS guide)

    • Approval typically takes 5–10 business days.

    Join PRS for Music →
    Why this matters

    PRS's global network of reciprocal agreements means your UK registration also collects royalties internationally — from over 100 countries. A single registration reaches a global collection footprint.

    Common mistake

    Only joining PRS and not MCPS. PRS collects performance royalties; MCPS collects mechanical royalties from reproductions (streaming, CD, download). Both are essential for full coverage.

    3

    Receive and Save Your CAE/IPI Number

    Upon approval, PRS will assign you a unique 9-digit CAE/IPI number. This is your global identity as a songwriter — every PRO in the world uses it to identify you.


    Save this number securely. You'll need it:

  • When co-writers register shared works at any PRO
  • When registering at GEMA, ASCAP, or any international society
  • When publishers request your songwriter details
    • Why this matters

    Your IPI number is the universal identifier that links you to your royalties across every collection society in the world. Without it, co-writers can't correctly attribute your share when they register joint works.

    Common mistake

    Not sharing your IPI number with co-writers. When a collaborator registers a shared song, they need your IPI to route your split correctly. Missing IPI = royalties potentially routed incorrectly.

    4

    Register Your Works (Duration Required)

    Log into your PRS Member Portal and register each composition via "Register My Music." For each work:

  • Title (must match distributor metadata exactly)
  • Duration (mm:ss — this is REQUIRED, see warning below)
  • ISRC code(s)
  • Co-writer IPI numbers and writer/publisher share percentages
  • Genre classification

    • Duration is critical: PRS defaults to 3:00 if left blank. If your track is longer, you receive reduced royalties proportionally on every play until corrected.

    PRS Member Portal — Register Music
    Why this matters

    Duration directly affects royalty calculations. PRS royalties are calculated as (royalty rate × duration × plays). A 5-minute track that PRS thinks is 3 minutes earns 40% less on every play.

    Common mistake

    Leaving the duration field blank. This is the single most costly metadata mistake UK songwriters make — it compounds on every play, every quarter, until corrected.

    5

    Register Each Version Separately

    Radio edits, remixes, live versions, and acoustics each require their own separate registration with a new tunecode (PRS's internal composition ID).


    For each version:

  • Register it as a new work in the portal
  • Add its own ISRC (each version has a unique ISRC from your distributor)
  • Reference the original work's tunecode in the "arrangement of" field
    • Register Another Version →
    Why this matters

    A radio edit played repeatedly on BBC Radio 1 earns zero performance royalties if the radio edit isn't registered. The original registration only covers the original recording ISRC.

    Common mistake

    Assuming the original registration covers all versions. It does not — each ISRC needs its own registration.

    6

    Submit Live Setlists After Every Show

    After every live performance, log into the PRS portal and submit your setlist with venue details. PRS deducts a royalty from the venue's blanket license fee and pays it to you based on submitted setlists.


    Include:

  • Venue name and capacity
  • Date of performance
  • All songs performed (in order)

    • PRS has reciprocal agreements with 100+ countries — international gigs are also claimable.

    Submit a Setlist →
    Why this matters

    Venues pay PRS blanket licenses specifically to cover live performance royalties. If you don't submit setlists, that money sits unclaimed — and PRS has no way to know whose songs were performed.

    Common mistake

    Not submitting setlists from smaller gigs. Even a 100-person venue generates a royalty. Many artists only submit for major shows and miss thousands in accumulated royalties from smaller events.

    After you register

    PRS collects performance royalties only. Also join MCPS to collect mechanical royalties from every reproduction of your music (including each stream on Spotify and Apple Music).

    Rekon tracks whether you're actually registered with PRS for Music — and 36 others.

    Connect your platforms once and Rekon flags every registration gap automatically, with the exact fix for each.

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    Rekon is independent of PRS for Music. It is not affiliated with, authorised by, or sponsored by it.