PRS voting members will be asked to approve amendments at its forthcoming AGM. Photo credit: Shutterstock
PRS for Music members will have been informed of the governance change proposals by email this week. The PRS for Music Directors Ballot is also currently open. If you are eligible to vote, you will have been contacted directly by the independent scrutineer, Civica Election Services (CES). The deadline for voting in the Directors Ballot is 4 August 2020.
If you’re not sure if you’re eligible to vote, you can read more about the criteria on PRS for Music’s website.
Over the last 18 months, PRS for Music has conducted a full governance review, undertaken by expert consultants and lawyers. The recommendations of this independent review were largely agreed by the PRS Board, but with some minor variations.
In order to implement these changes, the Board will be asking PRS voting members to approve amendments to the Articles of Association and the Rules and Regulations at its forthcoming AGM.
Due to current restrictions the PRS AGM will be held virtually, details of which will be send to PRS members in the next few days. As this year’s AGM will be held online, all PRS voting members will need to submit their vote for both the Directors Ballot (4 August) and on the proposed governance changes (14 August) in advance.
Information on how to register your vote will be included in the Formal Notice which will be received by PRS for Music members next week.
The proposed changes
The proposed governance changes include:
- The current PRS Board is to be reconstructed as the Members’ Council – with a renewed focus on member engagement, and ensuring the views of the membership are reflected in decision making
- The Members’ Council will be smaller than the current PRS Board, although there will be a small increase in the number of independent non-executives. The Members’ Council will, therefore, be more efficient and cost-effective
- The new Members’ Council will appoint a Writer President – to champion PRS and the membership
- A limit on the amount of terms that Directors can serve on the Council (five three-year terms) – to encourage new blood and diversity
- The election of Writer and Publisher Council members is to be changed to collegiate voting, so that only Writer members vote for Writer candidates, and similarly only the Publisher members vote for Publisher candidates. This means writers alone will get to decide who represents their views
- Three seats to be designated for the highest earning Publishers – this would enable the Publishers to be on the Council without going through the ballot process, but they would not be able to participate in the ballot or appointment process for the other Publisher seats on the Council.
For further information visit PRS for Music’s website.