WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Setlists and analogous data only tell a small part of the story, and can be easily gamed though PRS stress that this is fraud, and that they and other PROs do and will prosecute. MRT is only in a very small number of venues, or isnt used at all. Cloud DJing will go somewhat towards solving the issue, but its a long way off being widely adopted or adopted at all and when it is, it relies on accurate metadata. So, what can be done, right now, to make sure you and others get paid accurately? Established artists employ teams to ensure theyre being paid, especially if they crossover with mainstream radio play, but its in the underground clubs where the newest, unsigned music is played.

PROs may be right when they assume your provincial discotheque is playing the Top 40, but youre less likely to hear the same tracks every night in an underground club, something that PRS confirms. The takeaway from the data from those [underground] venues is that theres definitely less repetition, which means we need to monitor more of them. These new methods give us a highly accurate picture of the music played in those venues.

The number one thing any electronic music producer can do now is to register with a PRO. If youre not registered, or your tracks arent registered, you will get nothing thats the one constant here. As mentioned above, the most recent figures from AFEM suggest that, at any given time, 40% of the Beatport Top 100 is not eligible to get royalties. Another huge own goal. If youre a DJ, submit your setlists. If you dont get a form, you can do it retrospectively online, for free (go to prsformusic.com for more information) for up to 12 months after a gig. And if you dont remember everything, thats fine.

My advice to people is that you fill in a representative setlist of a period of time. The very minimum you should be doing is once a year, but ideally every three months. Just put the [tracks] youre playing most of the time, Howard explains. If you cant remember what you played or when you played it, your rekordbox histories are your friend. Plug in your USB, select histories from the dropdown menu, and you can revisit every setlist that USB was used for. You can also share it to your Public KUVO profile.

DJ, producer and label owner Posthuman whose recent tweets sparked an awareness drive around submitting setlists and DJ/producer royalties summed it up as so: Many small artists write tracks that are big in the clubs and festivals, but they sell so little copies that theres next to no profit for them. It could really make a difference, and it would cost DJs nothing to do except a little time and effort. Its a question of ethics and effort to get this cash to the artists [to whom] its due.

Whether you think the current system is broken or simply a product of a complex and somewhat dated necessity, the fact remains that, at a time when revenue streams for DIY and independent music producers are extremely narrow, the money theyre due is not making its way to their pockets. No one disputes that, but how much of it ends up in the wrong place is up to the industry as a whole.

No one body, group or organisation is to blame, and where theres money at stake, therell always be gatekeepers trying to retain the status quo that benefits them, or wholl point the finger to avoid culpability. PRS is trying to solve the problem, but without data, it cant take a case study to its board to change policy to help do so. That data comes from DJs, especially those playing the underground circuit.

If thats you, and youre jaded by PROs, or feel theyre weighted in favour of the majors, youre condemning the situation to remain stagnant. Not submitting a setlist because you feel PRS is stacked towards the majors, means PRS will continue to be stacked towards the majors, says Mark Lawrence. Thats the point that hurts the industry the most. Where Ill share some cynicism with cynics is, PRS are getting the money anyway, and [if] people choose not to report setlists and choose not to be accurate, that money will be distributed anyway. Its up to us to make it accurate.

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Producers are losing millions in royalties every year here's what you can do about it - DJ Mag