PPL PRS music licence tariffs & costs (2026).
TheMusicLicence isn’t one fee — it’s a PPL tariff plus a separate PRS for Music tariff, added together. PPL covers the sound recording; PRS for Music covers the underlying song. The two organisations set their rates separately and re-index annually on staggered dates, which is a big part of why bills are so hard to sanity-check. Below are the real published 2026 figures — shown combined for shops, where we’ve verified both halves — and the full tariff index with links to each official source.
What a shop pays, combined
For a retail shop playing background music, the annual cost is the PPL shops tariff plus the PRS for Music “RS” tariff, by customer-audible floor area. All figures ex-VAT.
| Audible area | PPL | PRS for Music | Combined / year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 50m² | £204.19 | £246.80 | £450.99 |
| Up to 100m² | £204.19 | £246.80 | £450.99 |
| Up to 150m² | £204.19 | £359.90 | £564.09 |
| Up to 200m² | £204.19 | £359.90 | £564.09 |
| Up to 300m² | £204.19 | £473.70 | £677.89 |
| Up to 500m² | £204.19 | £586.70 | £790.89 |
| Up to 750m² | £257.23 | £700.20 | £957.43 |
| Up to 1000m² | £345.63 | £813.60 | £1,159.23 |
A first-year higher rate (standard + 50%) can apply if you played music before getting licensed — for the first year only. If it’s still on your bill after that, it’s likely an overcharge.
The underlying band tables
| Audible area | Standard / year |
|---|---|
| Up to 100m² | £246.80 |
| 101–150m² | £359.90 |
| 151–200m² | £359.90 |
| 201–300m² | £473.70 |
| 301–500m² | £586.70 |
| 501–750m² | £700.20 |
| 751–1000m² | £813.60 |
| 1001–1250m² | £926.80 |
| 1251–1500m² | £1,040.10 |
| 1501–1750m² | £1,153.60 |
| 1751–2000m² | £1,267.10 |
| 2001–2500m² | £1,380.40 |
| 2501–3000m² | £1,493.70 |
| 3001–3500m² | £1,607.10 |
| 3501–4000m² | £1,720.50 |
| 4001–4500m² | £1,833.50 |
| 4501–5000m² | £1,947.10 |
| 5001–6000m² | £2,060.30 |
| 6001–7000m² | £2,173.60 |
| 7001–8000m² | £2,287.00 |
| 8001–9000m² | £2,400.10 |
| 9001–10000m² | £2,513.70 |
| Audible area | Standard / year |
|---|---|
| Up to 600m² | £204.19 |
| 601–650m² | £221.87 |
| 651–700m² | £239.55 |
| 701–750m² | £257.23 |
| 751–800m² | £274.91 |
| 801–850m² | £292.59 |
| 851–900m² | £310.27 |
| 901–950m² | £327.95 |
| 951–1000m² | £345.63 |
| Each additional 50m² | +£17.68 |
The full tariff index
Every current PPL, PRS for Music and VPL tariff that can make up TheMusicLicence, with a link to the official document. We publish the facts (codes, titles, sources) — not the copyrighted PDFs.
PPL · 67 tariffs
PRS for Music · 45 tariffs
VPL · 9 tariffs
Not sure which tariff you’re on?
Try the calculator for the exact shop figure, or send your invoice and we’ll check it line by line against these tariffs — free. No savings, no fee.
Figures are the published 2026 PPL, PRS for Music and VPL tariffs, ex-VAT, and re-index annually — treat them as a snapshot, not a quote. Source: https://pplprs.co.uk/business/other/ (public PPL, PRS for Music & VPL tariffs for TheMusicLicence). MLC is independent — not affiliated with PPL PRS Ltd, PRS for Music or PPL.