Income from social networking sites, mobile ringtones and a booming live music industry all contributed to a record royalty payout for UK musicians this quarter, the Performing Rights Society said yesterday. The society, which collects money on behalf of musicians and songwriters in the UK and foreign artists whose music is performed in the country, said it distributed £110m, the first time royalties had reached a nine-figure sum in one quarter. Steve Porter, chief executive, said income from all new media and mobile telephone sources accounted for about 2 per cent of the total.
"We are slightly ahead of the curve with regard to deals being done with social networking sites, but it is very early days," he said. About £4 in every £10 of income come from music broadcasting on television and radio and just under a third from public performances including pubs, bars and live shows.
