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MU Royalties Team Announce Record Distribution to Members

Geoff Ellerby, National Organiser for Recording & Broadcasting has reported back that 2023 saw a record £1.57m being distributed to members, and thanks the R&B team for their unrelenting dedication to the task.

Published: 20 December 2023 | 1:22 PM
Vintage record player with a vinyl resting on top, spinning in action
"Monies are collected from a number of sources. A large part comes from the dubbing of commercial music into television programmes (background music)." Photo credit: Shutterstock

The Royalties team at the MU are delighted to announce that 2023 has hit a record distribution of £1.57m to musicians. Our final payment of 2023 last week saw 2500 members and non-members share in the latest distribution of £250k.

Monies are collected from a number of sources. A large part comes from the dubbing of commercial music into television programmes (background music). Musicians’ performances are also licenced by the MU into film and advertising, for which the licensing team invoice major studios and advertising brands.

The other main source of royalty is from Video Licensing. Where promotional videos and backing tracks are made of commercially published music to clear rights for further use, the MU receives a percentage of fees from record labels via Video Performance Licensing (part of PPL).

Geoff Ellerby, National Organiser for Recording & Broadcasting thanked the whole team for their unrelenting dedication and hard work, their consistent high standards and absolute passion to improve the lives of members.

Invoices paid in 2023 £1.7m

Admin fees collected £213k

Distribution 2023 £1.57m

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