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MU Makes Record Royalties Payment to Members in First Quarter of 2021

Session musicians continue to benefit from the use of background commercial recordings in tv programmes, and our total distribution of royalties for 2021 so far have exceeded £500k.

Published: 17 March 2021 | 5:49 PM Updated: 28 April 2021 | 4:32 PM
Photograph of a yellow television box against a turquoise coloured wall.
The MU actively collects payment for use of session musicians on commercial audio recordings used in sync for advertising, film, and television. Photo credit: Shutterstock

Following the first distribution of BBC ‘dubbing’ money today (royalties for use of background commercial audio in BBC programmes) totalling some £290k, this brings the total distribution so far in 2021 to just over £500k.

Geoff Ellerby, National Organiser for Recording & Broadcasting commented:

“Despite the pandemic, session musicians continue to benefit from use of background commercial recordings in tv programmes. The team have worked extremely hard in prioritising the mass of data work required to expedite these payments to help members in these worrying times.”

The MU actively collects payment for use of session musicians on commercial audio recordings used in sync for advertising, film, and television.

Should members hear a recording they have performed on in a film or advertisement, and have not had a royalty payment, please keep us informed at licensing@theMU.org

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