UK music royalties hit £277.7m as PPL wraps up 2025
PPL has shared final figures for UK artists and recording rightsholders payouts for 2025.
PPL has ended 2025 with another major payout for performers and recording rightsholders, highlighting just how valuable music licensing continues to be. According to reporting from Music Ally and a press release from PPL, the organisation distributed a total of £277.7 million across the year, marking a strong result for those earning from recorded music in the UK and internationally.
The final distribution of the year took place in December and saw £54.3 million paid out to 147,000 musicians and music companies. This payment covered the final quarter of 2025 and arrived shortly after PRS for Music announced its own December distribution to songwriters and publishers, rounding off the year with positive news across the industry.
This last payout showed clear growth compared to the previous year. PPL confirmed that the Q4 distribution was up 19.9% year-on-year, while the total number of people and organisations receiving a payment increased by 7.3%. That rise represents around 10,000 additional payees compared to the same period in 2024, showing that licensing income is reaching more people over time.
The money distributed in Q4 came from a wide range of sources. Alongside PPL’s UK licensing activity, the payment also included revenue from VPL, which licenses music videos when they are broadcast or played in public. On top of that, royalties collected by 63 international collective management organisations were included, showing how UK recordings continue to earn when played overseas.
International royalties also played a key role in the final payout. Increased performer income from Denmark, Germany, and the United States reflected ongoing improvements in data accuracy, while Sweden saw a boost from backdated private copying payments. Recording rightsholders benefited from strong payments from Belgium, alongside income from Germany, Hungary, Romania, and Spain.
The final distribution also included £2.3 million from the Annual Supplementary Remuneration Fund, supporting more than 20,000 non-featured performers on recordings released between 1963 and 1973. Albums such as Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Wizzard’s I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day became eligible for payments this year.
Commenting on the scale of the distribution, Shamus Damani, Consultant Director of Business Affairs at Defected Records Limited, said, “This year I believe PPL has delivered its largest international Q4 payment to recording rightsholders, helping to ensure that music continues to be a sustainable career choice for both performers and recording rightsholders. It is clear from these figures that PPL continues to bring tremendous value to the music industry, and our collaboration with them plays a major part in the continued success of our business.”