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Updated 20 July 2026 · 5 min read

We analysed every PPL PRS tariff: what the 2026 data shows

TheMusicLicence looks like one fee. It’s built from a library of 120+ tariffs — which is exactly why overcharges hide so well.

TheMusicLicence looks like a single fee, but it’s built from a large library of separate tariffs. We index over 120 current editions across the three collecting societies — PPL, PRS for Music and VPL. That complexity is the single biggest reason most businesses genuinely can’t tell whether their bill is right.

The headline numbers

  • 121 current tariff editions across three societies (PPL, PRS for Music and VPL).
  • Dozens of distinct business types — shops, pubs, hotels, gyms, salons, offices, nurseries and many more — each with its own rate schedule.
  • Fees calculated from a mix of factors: audible floor area, seats, rooms, bedrooms, staff numbers, events and attendance.

Why this matters for your bill

Your bill is at least one PPL tariff plus one PRS for Music tariff, summed together — and the two societies set their rates separately and re-index on different dates. A small misclassification (background music billed as a featured event, say) can move you onto an entirely different, more expensive tariff. With this many moving parts, errors are easy to make and hard to spot.

Where the errors cluster

Across the audits we do, the same handful of issues recur: usage misclassified, audible area over-stated, a first-year higher rate carried forward past year one, and dormant or closed sites still being billed. None of them are obvious from the invoice alone.

See the real figures

We publish the actual 2026 tariff figures — the combined shop cost, the underlying PPL and PRS band tables, and the full index with links to every official source — on our Tariffs page. It’s the reference we use ourselves. If you’d like your own bill checked against it, send us your invoice for free, or book a Sanity Call. No savings, no fee.

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Related guides

How much does a business music licence cost in the UK?TheMusicLicence isn’t a flat fee — it’s calculated from your premises and how you use music, which is exactly why overcharges are so common.How audible area affects your music licence (and why it’s often wrong)It’s the number that moves your bill the most — and the one most likely to be recorded incorrectly.How to reduce your music licence cost: your optionsFour realistic ways to lower a business music licence bill — and the one that recovers money without changing a thing about how you operate.

This guide is general information, not legal advice, and MLC is an independent consultancy — not affiliated with PPL PRS Ltd, PRS for Music or PPL.