Dave Rowntree lost his royalties fight, and PRS is celebrating. The Blur drummer challenged PRS for Music over how it splits unidentified cash, often called black box royalties, and appellate judges shut the case down, backing an earlier tribunal ruling that found it had no shot.
Rowntree argued PRS's system for handing out that leftover money favors publishers, since much of the unclaimed pile belongs to songwriters. PRS splits mystery cash the same way it splits identified cash, proportionally, a setup known as pro rata.
The judges weren't convinced. Lord Justice Miles, who wrote the leading opinion, said there was no real case that PRS's method constituted an abuse of its market power, and Justices Zacaroli and Nugee agreed. Rowntree's side never offered a better way to split the cash, which the court called a dealbreaker.
A PRS spokesperson called it a win, saying the claim was doomed from the start and misrepresented company policy, and noting it would've had members suing the very group they collectively control, racking up costs.
PRS is a nonprofit run by its members, and it counted 175,000 members during the relevant period, including about 165,000 songwriters and 10,000 publishers. It paid out £1.07 billion, or $1.41 billion, to creators last year, and membership has since grown past 190,000.
The tribunal noted the dispute could've involved up to £200 million potentially routed to publishers, with claimant-side legal costs hitting £13 million. Groups like the Music Managers' Forum say the current system shortchanges smaller and up-and-coming writers.
Rowntree argued PRS's system for handing out that leftover money favors publishers, since much of the unclaimed pile belongs to songwriters. PRS splits mystery cash the same way it splits identified cash, proportionally, a setup known as pro rata.
The judges weren't convinced. Lord Justice Miles, who wrote the leading opinion, said there was no real case that PRS's method constituted an abuse of its market power, and Justices Zacaroli and Nugee agreed. Rowntree's side never offered a better way to split the cash, which the court called a dealbreaker.
A PRS spokesperson called it a win, saying the claim was doomed from the start and misrepresented company policy, and noting it would've had members suing the very group they collectively control, racking up costs.
PRS is a nonprofit run by its members, and it counted 175,000 members during the relevant period, including about 165,000 songwriters and 10,000 publishers. It paid out £1.07 billion, or $1.41 billion, to creators last year, and membership has since grown past 190,000.
The tribunal noted the dispute could've involved up to £200 million potentially routed to publishers, with claimant-side legal costs hitting £13 million. Groups like the Music Managers' Forum say the current system shortchanges smaller and up-and-coming writers.
