December 2009 M34 money 11 money & business campaign online Musical heritage PRS for Music has launched a `Heritage Award' scheme which pays homage to the network of pubs, clubs and other live music venues where legendary `first gigs' have taken place. The scheme launched with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque to Blur at the site of the band's first ever gig, in the Goods Yard of the East Anglian Railway Museum. The year was 1989 and the band was known as Seymour. The reformed Blur kicked off their 2009 summer tour back at the Railway Museum. Commenting on the venue, the band said: `We played our first gig there in 1989, and so it was only fitting that we should return 20 years later to the place where it all began.' Dire Straits' performance birthplace has also been honoured with the installation of a Heritage plaque outside the Deptford block of flats where Dire Straits lived and first gigged. Attending the unveiling of the plaque were Dire Straits' frontman Mark Knopfler and bassist John MySpace Music UK launch New licensed music service goes live Ian Reed, Railway Museum Trustee; Ellis Rich; and Bob and Pauline Coxon, parents of Blur's Graham, unveil the plaque PRS for Music has agreed an Online Music Licence with MySpace for its new UK music platform MySpace Music. The agreement will ensure PRS for Music members receive royalties for their work. It also signals an ongoing commitment from the online giant to nurture creative music talent. MySpace Music offers users access to a broad range of audio tracks and music videos. The new service will offer users audio streaming, as well as the ability to personalise their music content by creating and sharing playlists. MySpace Music users will also now be able to buy DRM-free MP3 music downloads of their favorite songs via Apple iTunes, playable on all digital music devices. Commenting on the launch Andrew Shaw MD of Broadcast, Online and Recorded Media said: `We are pleased to add MySpace Music to our extensive list of licensed services and welcome them to the family of Online Music Licensees.' Illsley (pictured below). Reminiscing about the gig, Knopfler commented: `I'm honoured and delighted that the birthplace of Dire Straits should be marked in this way in Deptford, a part of London's history.' PRS Chairman Ellis Rich said: `We hope the scheme serves as inspiration to a whole new generation of music creators.' To see photos from both Heritage Award events, and to nominate the site of a first gig, concert or performance, go to prsformusic.com/heritageaward licensing Pub love PRS for Music's Public Performance Sales (PPS), in partnership with the Musicians Union and the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), has launched a nationwide campaign to promote music use in Britain's pubs. PPS commissioned pub industry experts CGA to analyse sales data from pubs across the UK. Their research revealed that pubs which play music take 44% more money across the week than pubs that don't, with this figure rising to 60% at weekends. In recognition of the central role played by pubs in promoting live music, and to demonstrate how music can help pubs grow their business, PRS for Music has launched a competition to find two local pubs in need of a `Music Makeover'. A £5000 cash award is available for each winning pub, as well as all the expert advice they can handle. For further information on our pubs competition see prsformusic. com/musicmakeover licensing New Sports Tariff The first member distribution from the new sporting events tariff (Tariff SE) will take place in December. For the first time, members will receive direct distributions when their works are featured at sports events, such as goal celebration music. Around £300k will be directly distributed. The new sports tariff, with the increased charges agreed with sports governing bodies, requires customers to provide programme details of all featured music used. business Final.indd 11 Will Strange 7/12/09 14:48:35