PRS for Music expands the reach of royalties across the industry

Thursday 30 April , London, England – PRS for Music paid out against 7.8 million unique works in 2025, an increase of 41% (2.3m) since 2020, delivering record distributions to songwriters, composers and publishers, with royalties flowing to more creators and across an expanding repertoire of works. This growth reflects not only an increase in total revenues, but a continued expansion in the number of works and performances generating value for creators across live, streaming and international markets.

Royalty collections increased by 7.7% (£88.2m) on the previous year to £1.24 billion. The society that represents the rights of over 190,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers, paid out £1.07 billion to rightsholders in 2025, a 4.9% increase (£49.9m) on 2024. Of those paid, 4,541 songwriters and composers were paid for the first time, receiving £1.96 million in royalties.

For the first time in PRS’s more than 110-year history, revenue collected from Live music generated more than one hundred million pounds (£101.4m), up by 13.2% (£11.9m) on 2024. Overall revenues from public performance, including live and music played or performed in public (i.e., shops, restaurants, bars etc.) represented a 9.1% (£26.1m) year-on-year increase to £313.4m.

Streaming continues to dominate discovery and access to music, contributing £351.4m of royalties collected, up 11.8% (£37.1m) on 2024. Video-on-Demand revenue also saw a year-on-year increase, up by 20.1% (£12.9m) to £77.2m. Collectively, PRS collected £447.2m of online royalties, up by 9.6% (£39.3m) on 2024.

Europe remained the most important market for PRS members’ music, with revenue exceeding £200m (£200.6m) up by 7.9% (£9m) compared to the previous year. International royalty income totalled £367.3m, an increase of 4.2% (£14.8m) on 2024, of which 28% was collected for music used in North America.

Revenue from linear TV and radio broadcast remained relatively stable, increasing 0.2% (£0.2m) year-on-year to £111.8m.

Andrea Czapary Martin, CEO, PRS for Music said: “We’ve delivered another year of strong growth, with revenues up 7% and for the second consecutive year paying over £1 billion to songwriters, composers and publishers. In just 10 years PRS has doubled the value flowing back to rightsholders, £621m in 2016 to £1.24bn in 2025, by accelerating licensing in new markets and securing new terms with major existing customers.

I believe success for a society shouldn’t be measured by the money collected. It must be measured by how quickly, fairly and accurately the songwriters and composers receive the royalties they are due.

In 2025, we saw particularly strong growth in live with more creators earning from performances than ever before, including many being paid for the first time. We moved to monthly payments for online streaming, giving creators faster access to the money they’ve earned and the insights they need to understand how their music is performing, all with the aim of continuing to deliver a world-leading royalty distribution service in a rapidly evolving music landscape.”

More than 37,600 members received royalties from live performances, with live music playing a critical role in supporting emerging creators. A quarter of all first-time earners received royalties because their music was performed live, demonstrating how value is flowing from grassroots activity through to payment. PRS has formally supported the live music sector in several ways, through announcing it will waive the £1 grassroots contribution from its licensing fees [1] and its Livelihood campaign aimed at encouraging setlist submission and education around distributions [2]. This progress is supported by increased reporting of live performances with more than 231,000 setlists submitted for live performances, helping ensure that more performances are recognised and paid.

As music is used in more places, from global digital platforms to small venues, capturing every performance remains a challenge across the industry. PRS has recently launched enhanced online tools and services for members and continues to invest in improving how music usage is tracked and reported.

PRS continues to play a central role in supporting the music ecosystem, from grassroots venues through to global markets. Last year, PRS Foundation celebrated 25 years since its launch, during that time PRS for Music has provided funding in excess of £50 million to PRS Foundation. The society also advocates for creators’ rights in areas such as AI and licensing, engaging with Government to help shape legislation that supports economic growth by fostering a fair and sustainable AI ecosystem, one that safeguards the rights of songwriters and composers and ensures their work is properly valued [3].



Media Contacts:  
Anisha Chowdhury Senior Public Relations and Communications Manager
Siobhan Collins Public Relations and Communications Manager
press@prsformusic.com
+44 (0)20 3741 4777 
Notes to editor: 

Online and international year-on-year numbers are presented on a constant currency basis.

Visit our track record webpage (published at midnight): https://beta.prsformusic.com/about-us/track-record/financial-results-2025 

1. PRS for Music to waive fees on grassroots levy - https://www.musicweek.com/live/read/prs-for-music-to-waive-fees-on-grassroots-levy/093561  
2. How to… boost your livelihood with live royalties - https://beta.prsformusic.com/music-and-royalties/register-and-manage-music/live-royalties 
3. Protecting music https://beta.prsformusic.com/what-we-do/protecting-music   

About PRS for Music
Founded in 1914, PRS for Music was built to secure a sustainable future for songwriters, composers and publishers. For more than 110 years, the organisation has protected music creators’ rights and championed the value of their work. Today, PRS for Music ensures songwriters and composers get paid when their music is played, performed, or streamed worldwide, and continues to embrace innovation while securing the future of music on behalf of the 190,000 members it has the privilege to represent. 

In 2025, PRS for Music paid out £1.07 billion in royalties and collected £1.24 billion in revenues. www.prsformusic.com