Licensee hit with music licence fine

A Shropshire publican faces a legal bill of more than £1,000 after being fined in his absence for not having a music licence.

Pubmaster tenant Gareth Challinor, licensee of the Red Lion in Ostwestry, claims he was given no notice of a high court hearing brought by Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL).

The organisation, which licenses public performance of recorded music, won an injunction preventing Mr Challinor from playing any further music without a PPL licence. He has also been ordered to pay £1,100 costs.

The hearing was held in Mr Challinor's absence and he was not represented. Failure to comply with the injunction carries a fine and, potentially, imprisonment.

Mr Challinor, who is now taking legal advice, said: "The first I heard of this was when a local newspaper called me to ask for a comment on the ruling. I'd had no letters about the hearing."

He said the pub mainly plays music through Sky TV and has a valid Performing Right Society (PRS) licence as well as a Sky agreement.

A spokeswoman for PPL said the organisation would not comment on individual cases, but stressed court action is always a last resort.

She added that all contacts with a licensee would be routinely logged and "a judge is unlikely to issue an injunction unless he was satisfied the right procedures have been followed".

Confusion over the different music licences needed has often caused problems for the trade.

In addition to a local authority Public Entertainment Licence, PPL licences recorded music while the PRS issues licences on behalf of performers and publishers.