[quote name='arthurhenry' post='1069974' date='Dec 27 2010, 10:41 AM']I have never illegally downloaded music and would be uncomfortable doing so, but what if you're downloading a song for your band to learn and play live potentially hundreds of times? In theory at least, the artists would still receive royalties via the PRS, so does that make it OK?
The other aspect of this is; how exact a science is the distribution of royalties from live performance by cover bands. I've done a few gigs where the PRS have turned up (usually when the club owner says "just two half hour sets tonight lads, hush, hush") I think we may have given them a setlist, but what if we chuck in Pride O' the farm by Dixie Dregs? Do they recognise it and make sure Mr. Morse gets his money? Unlikely. What about snippets of 007 and superman theme that we sneak into a song?[/quote]
I'm pretty sure that someone here will prove me wrong, but it seems to me that the PRS take much more money than they can give out. As the OP says, how do they know which songs are being played by cover bands? I've never been asked for a set list.
At festivals, PRS take 3% of ticket sales and this is set to double to 6%!
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2010/jul/04/festivals-fear-royalties-hike-tickets)
As a rough guide, from Glastonbury alone, that would be over £1million!
For what? Glastonbury are paying all the acts that play there, every stall that does business at Glastonbury has to have a PRS licence.
So the only thing this million quid is paying for is the music that's played on stage between the acts.
Extrapolate that to include all the other festivals.........PRS are getting shedloads!
As I said, I fully expect someone to come along and point out where I'm wrong :-)
Ps. I do think the PRS do good work and are necessary, just that rather more goes in than than I can see coming out.