Robert Ashcroft statement: EU Copyright Directive vote passes

PRS for Music CEO welcomes positive result

After years of debate, working alongside our industry partners to emphasise the importance of protecting creators’ intellectual property, the European Parliament has passed the final Copyright Directive text to update copyright laws for the digital age.

This is about creating a fair and functioning market for creative works of all kinds on the Internet. It’s about making sure that ordinary people can upload videos and music to platforms like YouTube without being held liable for copyright – that responsibility will henceforth be transferred to the platforms.

This is about modernising the Internet and it’s a massive step forward for consumers and creators alike.

About PRS for Music

Here for music since 1914, PRS for Music is a world-leading music collective management organisation representing the rights of more than 175,000 talented songwriters, composers and music publishers. Redefining the global standard for music royalties, PRS for Music ensures songwriters and composers are paid whenever their musical compositions and songs are streamed, downloaded, broadcast, performed and played in public. 

For 110 years it has grown and protected the rights of the music creator community, paying out royalties with more accuracy, transparency and speed. In 2023, PRS for Music paid out £943.6m in royalties and collected a record £1.08 billion in revenues. prsformusic.com