British music copyright collective PRS For Music is suing livestream platform LIVENow over unpaid royalties, with Dua Lipa at the forefront once again.
Livestreaming events during the 2020 lockdown period were a way for artists to support themselves and entertain others while in difficult circumstances. However, there were issues regarding the publishing and mechanical rights of the songs performed on these platforms. It raises the question if a livestream should be counted as a stream or a live performance.
PRS take 4.2% of the box office of a live show, but for streaming rates, its almost 15% of revenue to societies and publishers for licensing. In November 2020, LIVENow streamed the Dua Lipa show ‘Studio 2054’ with reports that over 5 million people watched the show. This suggests the stream was made available for free in some markets as only 285,000 tickets were sold across 150 countries.
PRS for Music have stated that they have made repeated attempts to get information about the revenue generated from these livestreams. However, LIVENow has been uncooperative. PRS is stating that none of its members have been paid for the use of their songs for any of the livestreams the company hosted.
PRS is now taking legal action after attempting to settle this dispute with positive engagement and licencing negotiations. The company states that it is ‘defending the rights of our members and songwriters.’
More to come on this story.
