WHY YOU MUST REPORT EVERY LIVE SHOW: HOW TO CLAIM PRS GIG ROYALTIES

Every licensed music venue in the UK pays blanket licensing fees (such as Tariff LP) to PRS for Music for the legal right to host live music. That revenue forms a collective royalty pot specifically set aside to compensate the songwriters whose music is played.

PRS has no automatic mechanism to know which original songs were played in grassroots venues unless the songwriter or performer submits their setlist. If you don't report your show, your royalty allocation sits unclaimed and is eventually distributed into general unallocated pools—often paying stadium-level acts instead of independent artists.

You do not need to be the headliner or the main touring draw to claim live performance royalties. Support acts, festival stage openers, and multi-artist showcase performers are entitled to claim their exact share of the night's performance royalty allocation.

Live royalties are paid to you as a songwriter by PRS. They are completely separate from whatever the venue or promoter pays you for performing (door splits, appearance fees, or travel expenses). You are legally entitled to both.

Before logging a gig, ensure all songs performed are registered with PRS and have assigned Tunecodes. We Are RGM handles PRS and global PRO registrations for clients through our One Stop service, ensuring your song catalogue is complete.

Log into your PRS online account at prsformusic.com and navigate to the 'Royalties' menu, then click 'Report Live Performances'.

Search for the venue by name, town/city, or postcode, and choose the exact calendar date of your performance.

• If the venue is missing from the directory, select 'Add Unlisted Venue' and enter the venue address and event details.
• For multi-stage festivals, select the festival name and specify your exact stage name and scheduled set time.

Indicate whether you were the Headline act, Support performer, or Festival act, and enter your approximate performance length (e.g. 30, 45, or 60 minutes).

Select each registered song performed on the night in order from your PRS catalogue, confirm the summary, and click 'Submit Claim'.

For UK pubs, clubs, and grassroots venues, PRS enforces a strict 12-month reporting cutoff from the performance date. Claims submitted after 12 months are permanently rejected.

For major dedicated concert halls, civic theatres, and arenas, PRS typically allows up to 3 years to submit claims. However, submitting early ensures you are paid in the earliest possible quarterly distribution.

If you perform abroad (European dates, US showcases like SXSW, or international festivals), PRS collects your foreign performance royalties through reciprocal agreements with overseas collection societies (like ASCAP, BMI, SACEM, and GEMA). Log your foreign gigs on PRS with event flyers or contracts attached.