Billboard UK
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PRS For Music paid out £1.02 billion ($1.3 billion) in royalties to songwriters, composers and publishers in 2024, according to reports from the U.K. collection society.
That figure is up 8.1% from 2023, when royalty payouts to its members reached £943.6 million ($1.2 billion). This means that PRS For Music have delivered early on their five-year plan to achieve £1 billion in royalties paid out by 2026.
Last year, reported revenue growth was up 6.1% to £1.15 billion ($1.46 billion), marking a notable deceleration from the 12.5% increase recorded in 2023, when PRS For Music broke the billion-pound barrier for the first time.
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Elsewhere, international revenues at the end of 2024 jumped 79.6% from 2015 levels to £351.4 million ($448.8 million). The organization attributed the continued growth to “a renewed commercial mindset and investment in data and technology infrastructure.”
The society’s online royalties grew 9% in 2024 to £401.2 million ($512 million). Collections from the video games sector accounted for a significant portion of this increase, after PRS For Music secured a partnership with Sony Playstation’s streaming service to build on its long-standing download deal.
Public performance royalty collections were also a key driver of growth, increasing by 14% in 2024 primarily due to a lift in collections from the live sector, which were up 30% year-on-year.
In a statement, PRS For Music’s CEO Andrea Czapary Martin — who features in the inaugural Billboard U.K. Power Players list — said, “PRS members have the right to demand their society think differently, challenge the norms in an industry where tradition is too often an excuse for inaction. To constantly evolve to meet their changing needs and expectations.
“Indeed, it is because we recognize the need to constantly challenge ourselves that we have been able to double the royalties paid to songwriters, composers and publishers in less than a decade.”
The above figures were announced at PRS For Music’s annual general meeting, which took place in London on Tuesday (June 3) and was also where new council representatives were elected. Singer-songwriter Cathy Dennis has joined the Writer Council as a member alongside Tom Gray, chair of the Ivors Academy, and composer Philip Pope.
PRS for Music’s Publisher Council increased its membership, welcoming including Megan Hall, senior vp of business and legal affairs at Concord Music Publishing; Nigel Gilroy, global head of legal & business affairs at Novello and Company; Daniel Lang, senior vp of global society relations & digital rights at Warner Chappell Music; and Richard Paine, director of commercial rights & business affairs at Faber Music.
Julian Nott, chair of the PRS Members’ Council, said, “I’m delighted to welcome our new and re-elected Council members. The wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise that they have amassed during their careers will bring a huge amount of insight and ensure the Council continues to deliver the best possible society for members and that every part of the membership is served by the organization.”
The countdown to Glastonbury 2025 is well and truly on. With just three weeks until music fans head to Worthy Farm, Somerset, England (June 25-29), the festival has unveiled its full lineup and stage times for 2025 – complete with gaps for secret sets.
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The event will host headliners The 1975, Neil Young, Rod Stewart, and Olivia Rodrigo on the Pyramid Stage, and Loyle Carner, Charli xcx and The Prodigy on the Other Stage. Other prominent names set to appear across the weekend include Doechii, Gracie Abrams, Noah Kahan, Wolf Alice and Busta Rhymes, among others.
Glastonbury will then take a fallow year in 2026, which sees landowner Michael Eavis and his family allow the festival grounds to recover every four years.
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The full lineup features over 3,000 performances, complete with new additions to the main stages. The Other Stage will now feature drum’n’bass stalwarts Fabio & Grooverider opening on Friday, playing tracks in symphonic arrangements with the Outlook Orchestra, plus pop acts Rizzle Kicks and Good Neighbours, and singer-songwriters Nadine Shah and Louis Dunford.
Glass Beams and Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso are among those added to West Holts, while Jalen Ngonda, Ichiko Aoba, Horsegirl, John Glacier and Geordie Greep join other new names on the Park stage. Head to the festival’s official website for set times across all stages.
There are also 56 ‘to be announced’ slots lined up, including a gap on the Pyramid Stage on the Friday ahead of Alanis Morrissette’s set. A mysterious band called ‘Patchwork’ will also be playing the following day. In 2023, Glastonbury platformed another surprise act at the Pyramid called the Churnups, who turned out to be the Foo Fighters.
It has been widely speculated online that ‘Patchwork’ could actually be pop trio Haim. The band are playing an isolated one-off date in Margate on June 27 following the release of fourth LP I Quit, while a Reddit user has suggested the ‘Patchwork’ name may reference a novel written by Sylvia Haim.
Lorde, meanwhile, will be releasing her new record Virgin on June 27. She last played Glastonbury in 2022, and could possibly return ahead of her highly-anticipated album and accompanying world tour, which kicks off in September.
More TBAs include Woodsies early on Friday, whilst the Park Stage also has a gap on Saturday evening. Glastonbury 2025 will kick off on the evening of June 25 with two opening ceremonies, including a theatre and circus show in the Pyramid field, followed by a fireworks display.
Kneecap has announced its biggest-ever English show with a huge headline date at London’s OVO Wembley Arena this coming September. The Belfast hip-hop trio will head to the 12,500-capacity show on Sep. 18 and follows their headline show at London’s Wide Awake festival in Brockwell Park in the capital in May. Tickets for the show […]
Drake has expanded his upcoming summer tour with his newly-announced $ome $pecial $hows 4 UK run through the United Kingdom and Europe with PARTYNEXTDOOR. Earlier this year it was announced that Drake would headline Wireless Festival in London on all three nights (July 11-13), and the Canadian superstar will now expand his run to include […]
Olivia Dean has announced details of her upcoming second studio album, The Art of Loving, and shared lead single “Nice to Each Other.” Dean will release her new LP on Sept. 26 via Capitol Records, and it will be the follow-up to 2023 debut Messy. Her debut album hit No. 4 on the U.K.’s Official […]
As Pride Month kicks off, former Little Mix member Jade Thirlwall is saying avada kedavra to transphobia, courtesy of her latest words against J.K. Rowling. During her set at London’s Mighty Hoopla festival on Saturday (May 31), the “Angel of My Dreams” singer led her crowd in a call-and-response chant during her song “FUFN” (that’s […]
Yungblud has enlisted Florence Pugh for an emotional music video for new single “Zombie.” The emotional ballad will feature on his upcoming fourth studio albums, Idols, out June 20. Pugh, who current stars in Marvel’s Thunderbolts has form for appearing in music videos. In 2023, she played the leading role in rising British indie star […]
Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet is back at No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart for a fifth non-consecutive week on Friday (May 30). The “Espresso” star first hit the top spot upon release back in August 2024, and the LP has returned to the summit intermittently ever since; Short n’ Sweet was last […]
Benson Boone has announced a run of arena dates in the U.K. and Ireland later this fall. The U.S. star’s run will kick off at Belfast’s SSE Arena on Oct. 23, before heading to Dublin’s 3Arena, the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, Glasgow’s OVO Hydro, the Utilita Arena in Birmingham and closing with a two-night […]
The saga around Zak Starkey’s departure from The Who continues to rumble on. In a new Instagram post on Wednesday (May 28), the band’s former drummer called reports that he “retired” from his position in iconic group as “f-kin total bollox” while insisting that he was, indeed, “fired” from the group.
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Starkey’s position as the band’s drummer has been uncertain since a show at London’s Royal Albert Hall in March. Reports suggested that Daltrey was unhappy with Starkey’s playing on the night, and a number of songs were cut short. Starkey – Ringo Starr’s son and a prolific session drummer – has been a part of the live lineup since 1996. In a statement, the band said, “The band made a collective decision to part ways with Zak after this round of shows at the Royal Albert Hall. They have nothing but admiration for him and wish him the very best for his future.”
His position was reinstated briefly after “communication issues” were resolved, but following the announcement of The Who’s farewell tour dates in North America, guitarist Pete Townshend confirmed that time had “come for a change” in relation to their drummer, and that Scott Devours would be taking on the role.
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On Monday (May 26) the drummer shared an Instagram post stating that Daltrey had said that Starkey had not been “fired,” but “retired” to work on his project with supergroup Mantra Of The Cosmos, which includes Starkey and members of Happy Mondays. The group’s upcoming debut LP features a song written by Oasis’ Noel Gallagher; Starkey was Oasis’ drummer from 2004-2008.
Two days later, on Wednesday (May 28), Starkey shared a new update with a screengrab of a news story that again indicated that he “retired” from the group. He called the report “f-kin total bollox,” insisted that “I was fired” and that Daltrey’s “new word for it is ‘retired’ to complete my other musical projects.”
He continued, “I called Roger last week and told him in person I had spent nearly 2 months at my studio in Jamaica completing my studio projects. That I had a mantra of the cosmos single out next week and then I was completely available for the foreseeable future… he was a little surprised but understood. It’s true – I have no plan’s whatsoever for the fall as I thought I was touring with The Who and my mantra band mates are v busy in oasis and happy Mondays until the new year . So this is simply a load of bollox … Am I fired , retired, deffo not tired as I’m 20 years younger than these guys as they keep saying.
Starkey added, “Dropping two beats on our second show is not a firing offence – I’ve watched the show on tv I can’t see where I dropped them – I looked everywhere- it’s the who ffs if it was perfect it would be so f–king boring …”
A spokesperson for The Who offered no comment on the latest update when approached by Billboard U.K.
The Who will kick off the U.S. leg of their farewell tour on August 16 at the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, FL.