UK-based music licensing body PPL paid out GBP £45.3 million (approx. $57 million at current exchange rates) to over 137,000 performers and recording rightsholders in the fourth quarter of 2024.
The latest figure marks a 7%, or GBP £3.4 million, decrease from £48.7 million paid in Q4 2023, which marked the highest Q4 payment in the organization’s history. The payment comes as the company celebrates its 90th year of operations, with over 9,400 members receiving their first-ever PPL payment.
The latest quarter saw the largest-ever Annual Supplementary Remuneration Fund payment of GBP £2.3 million, benefiting over 15,000 non-featured performers. This fund, now in its 10 year, has distributed £15.5 million to over 15,000 session musicians from the UK and globally who contributed to recordings released between 1963 and 1972.
Expanding its international reach, PPL says it has partnered with 69 collective management organizations (CMOs) for this quarter’s distribution — the highest number in a single payment period. The company’s global network now spans more than 110 agreements, with substantial payments flowing from France, Netherlands, Sweden, the US, and Portugal.
“I am also delighted to see over 9,400 members receive a payment for the first time, helping them to start building sustainable music careers.”
Peter Leathem OBE, PPL
PPL highlighted that the Q4 distribution marks the first-ever payment from RAYS, Azerbaijan’s newly established CMO. The Azerbaijani royalties stem from radio airplay and music used during the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Baku. Dave and Central Cee‘s Sprinter topped the playlist, while dance tracks from artists including Ellie Goulding, Ice Spice, Bebe Rexha, and Ella Henderson benefited from the high-octane sport, PPL said.
Pop artist Ella Henderson said: “Thank you PPL for all the great work that you do in collecting broadcast and public performance royalties for my recordings all around the world. These royalties are an important source of income for artists and enable me to continue making music for my fans.“
“I am so thrilled to see that ‘0800 Heaven’ was featured in the Formula 1 in Baku and ‘Alibi’ and ‘Lifeline’ have been so well received in the US and Germany. Thank you for all your love and support and bring on 2025.”
Peter Leathem OBE, CEO of PPL, commented on the quarterly distribution, saying, “We are pleased to end our 90th year with a strong performance in line with our December payments over the past five years.”
“We continue to champion music rights on behalf of performers and recording rightsholders around the world through our growing network of CMO partners, for example, with first-time payments from Azerbaijan and Guatemala. I am also delighted to see over 9,400 members receive a payment for the first time, helping them to start building sustainable music careers.”
Speaking to MBW earlier this week, Leathem said, “PPL’s position in the music industry has transformed massively. That’s an indicator of things going in a good direction; we’ve become a well-respected, well-liked organisation that’s central to the music industry.”
Earlier this year, PPL launched an initiative called PPL Giving, earmarking GBP £1 million annually to support and invest in the future of music in the UK.
Leathem also told MBW that PPL is “in a very fortunate position where we don’t need to make a profit. We’re here to provide a service for the industry at cost and we’re not trying to make a profit on top of it.”
Music Business Worldwide