The Performing Rights Society – the body that has pursued music publishing rights since 1914 and is now styled PRS For Music – says that professional songwriting, including composition, is enjoying a massive upswing. It says 37,000 new members have joined in the last five years, membership has grown 20% since 2019 and 4.5 million new compositions were registered in 2023 – a rise of 74% since 2019.
To coincide with the release of these figures, and to mark its 110th anniversary, the PRS has published a list of 110 songwriters and composers that – in line with a majority of music publicists – it calls “boundary pushing music creators”. Among them are Jazz FM award-winner Mica Millar and jazz-saxophone phenomenon Emma Rawicz.
They say “Fresh lyrics, smart songwriting and meticulously crafted compositions and arrangements fuse to form songs that hold the power to shape cultures” and that its list “spotlights the voices that are redefining boundaries within the art form”. It includes “trailblazers … who are challenging the pop power machine trend and successfully breaking the mould”.
Emma Rawicz said “While I am a jazz musician at heart, the point of writing music goes far beyond that for me, and aims to connect with anyone that chooses to hear my music, from a place of joy.”
PRS for Music describes itself as “a world-leading music collective management organisation representing the rights of more than 175,000 talented songwriters, composers and music publishers”.
It continues: “Redefining the global standard for music royalties, PRS for Music ensures songwriters and composers are paid whenever their musical compositions and songs are streamed, downloaded, broadcast, performed and played in public.
“For 110 years it has grown and protected the rights of the music creator community, paying out royalties with more accuracy, transparency and speed. In 2023, PRS for Music paid out £943.6m in royalties and collected a record £1.08 billion in revenues.”
The PRS is at www.prsformusic.com.
