Jim Duguid and Dru Masters join PRS Board as new Directors
New Writer Directors Jim Duguid and Dru Masters join the Board, alongside re-elected Edward Gregson. Simon Platz and John Minch re-elected as Publisher Directors
Renowned music creators Jim Duguid, and Dru Masters have been newly appointed as Writer Directors of the Performing Right Society (PRS), while composer, Edward Gregson, also returns to the Board. John Minch (Concord) and Simon Platz (Bucks Music Group) have been re-elected as Publisher Directors. Stephen Davidson and Mark Poole are are re-elected as external Directors on the PRS Board.
The appointments were made by PRS members at the PRS 2018 Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 24 May. Jim Duguid and Dru Masters replace Crispin Hunt and Mick Leeson.
Songwriter and musician Jim Duguid first came to prominence as a drummer in the band Speedway, where he also developed his songwriting in sessions with Steve Robson, Guy Chambers and Stargate. Later, he established himself as a songwriter through his work with Scottish singer Paolo Nutini, helping with the writing and recording of his 2006 debut album, These Streets. In 2010, Jim set up a studio in London, working with many young artists. His biggest hit to date is the track Too Close, co-written with artist Alex Clare, which has sold almost 5m copies around the world, with over 65m views on YouTube and over 110m streams on Spotify. The duo received the Songwriter of the Year Award at ASCAP’s annual London awards in 2014. Jim currently works from his studio just outside London, working with the likes of Sam Smith, Katy B, George Ezra and Charli XCX. He is an advocate for songwriters and composers and is involved with PRS for Music’s Creator Voice project, helping promote the value of creators’ rights in the digital domain, and campaigning for better remuneration for writers’ and composers’ works.
Dru Masters is a composer for TV and film, whose work includes scores for some of the UK’s most successful drama and factual shows, including International Emmy-winning, Capital, the BBC’s multi-award-winning drama, Silk, Charlie Brooker's comedy drama A Touch of Cloth, and BAFTA-winning, The Apprentice. Last year, he won the prestigious RTS Craft & Design award for Original Score for his work on BBC One’s BAFTA-winning Damilola, Our Loved Boy. As a songwriter and producer signed to Warner/Chappell and EMI Records, he has worked with artists as diverse as George Michael and the Mediaeval Beabes. Dru previously studied classical music at the Purcell School, where he now teaches occasional masterclasses. As of last year, Dru has been part of the PRS Commercial Advisory Group. He is currently scoring a 12-part series for Netflix and producing an album for classical violinist, Min Kym.
I am delighted to welcome two new Writer Directors to the board, Jim Duguid and Dru Masters, who I know will make a valuable contribution to our deliberations. I would also like to welcome back Eddie Gregson, Publisher Directors, Simon Platz and John Minch, and external Directors Stephen Davidson and Mark Poole, who will continue to provide us with their insight and guidance. With this combination of fresh ideas and sound business knowledge we will continue to build on the success we have seen over the last few years, not just in collecting record amounts of royalties, but as a membership organisation that is truly run by its members, for its members.
PRS for Music CEO Robert Ashcroft’s keynote speech covered many of the collaborations the leading performing rights organisation is part of, including: PPL PRS Ltd, the public performance licensing joint venture that launched earlier this year; ICE, the pan-European licensing hub founded by PRS, STIM and GEMA; working with SACEM and ASCAP to standardise links between sound recordings and musical works using Blockchain; and Tariff LP, which was recently approved by the Copyright Tribunal following two years of discussion with nine organisations representing the interests of the UK’s live music sector.
Further speeches were delivered by Chairman Nigel Elderton, who reflected on his first year with PRS, and Chief Financial Officer Steve Powell, in his first AGM appearance.
The AGM follows PRS for Music’s recent announcement of its financial results for 2017. PRS distributed an all-time high of £605.1m to its members for the use of their musical works, an increase of £77.5m, up 14.7% on 2016. With 6.6 trillion performances of music reported to PRS last year, 53% more than in 2016, including streams, downloads, broadcasts and live music shows, the music licensing company collected a record £717m on behalf of its members, an increase of 12.7% (£80.7m) year-on-year.
About PRS for Music
PRS for Music is a world-leading music collective management organisation representing the rights of more than 165,000 talented songwriters, composers and music publishers around the globe. Headquartered in the UK, it works diligently on behalf of its members to grow and protect the value of their rights. With a focus on innovation and integrity, PRS for Music is redefining the global standard for music royalties to ensure creators are paid whenever their musical compositions and songs are streamed, downloaded, broadcast, performed and played in public. In 2022, PRS for Music collected £964m and paid out £836.2m in royalties. prsformusic.com
