Apply for this licence
You may need a licence from the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) if you make copies of music on to any physical product.
In alliance with PRS for Music, MCPS administers the ‘mechanical’ rights of composers, lyricists and music publishers in relation to the copying of music on to:
- audio products (eg CDs, records)
- audio-visual products (eg DVDs)
- customised music products0 (eg karaoke discs, backing tracks or music quiz compilations)
- products that use music as part of their soundtrack (eg films and computer games)
The type of licence you need depends on your operation. Licences are required for businesses that:
- manufacture or distribute audio products for retail
- manufacture and distribute audio products to the public with magazines or newspapers for sale in the UK
- manufacture or distribute audio and audio-visual products for the promotion of a single or album release to the music industry
- manufacture and distribute customised music products
- import audio, audio-visual, karaoke, toy and novelty products into the UK
- use music in productions such as films or TV/radio adverts
- use music in computer games, novelty or promotional products
- supply music (eg jukeboxes) to business locations for the purpose of playing to members of the public
- record music to be played as background music to an exhibition
Licence fees are payable, but these vary depending on the type of licence applied for.
How to apply
You can find more information about the type of licence you need, as well as application forms, on the PRS for Music website.
You can also contact MCPS.
MCPS Recorded Media team
applications@mcps.co.uk
Telephone: 020 8378 7500
Find out about call charges
Fines and penalties
If you use copyright music in your products without being licensed, you are infringing copyright and could be sued for damages.