Transferring PRS and PPL membership after a death

What happens to a PRS or PPL membership when a member dies

PRS and PPL memberships do not transfer automatically when a member dies. To transfer a PRS membership after a death - and the same applies to PPL - the estate must notify each society separately, provide the grant of probate or letters of administration, and nominate who succeeds to the account. Royalties are not lost in the meantime - they accrue safely in the deceased member's account and are released once the transfer is complete. This guide walks executors, estate administrators, and family members through the process step by step, assuming no prior music industry knowledge.

What PRS and PPL each collect - and why both matter

PRS for Music collects royalties for songwriters and composers whenever their songs are performed, broadcast, streamed, or played in public - the money earned by the composition itself, regardless of who recorded it. PPL collects a different royalty stream entirely - payments due to performers and recording rightsholders when recorded music is broadcast on radio or television or played in public spaces. Many musicians were members of both, because writing a song and performing on a recording are paid separately. That is why a death has to be reported to each society individually - notifying one does nothing at the other.

Step one - notify PRS of the deceased member's death

Contact PRS member services and tell them the member has died. There is no need to have probate completed before making first contact - early notification means the society can flag the account and guide you on exactly what they need. PRS will typically ask for:

• A copy of the death certificate.
• The grant of probate, or letters of administration if the member died without a will.
• Proof of identity for the personal representatives dealing with the estate.
• Details of who should succeed to the membership - the estate itself, or one or more named beneficiaries.
• If the estate is still waiting for probate, say so - the account can be flagged while the application is in progress. GOV.UK's guidance on applying for probate explains how to obtain the grant.

How PRS successor accounts work

Once PRS has verified the paperwork, it recognises the estate or the designated beneficiaries as the successor to the deceased writer's account. The works the member registered stay registered - the successor steps into the member's position and starts receiving the statements and payments the member would have received. Where royalties are left to a specific person in the will, PRS can set up the account in that beneficiary's name. Expect the full transfer to take roughly two to six months from notification, depending on how quickly probate is granted and how complete the documentation is. Requirements can change, so confirm the current process with PRS directly before sending anything.

Step two - notify PPL separately

PPL is a separate organisation with its own member services team, so the death must be reported to PPL even if PRS has already been told. Be aware that a musician may hold two distinct accounts at PPL - a performer account for royalties earned playing on recordings, and a recording rightsholder account if they owned their own masters or ran a small label. Each account has to be transferred, and the documentation mirrors what PRS asks for - death certificate, grant of probate or letters of administration, and identification for the personal representatives. Contact PPL's member support team to confirm their current requirements before submitting documents. As with PRS, there is no need to wait for probate before making first contact - reporting the death early flags the accounts and gives you a named point of contact for the rest of the process.

Do not forget MCPS - mechanical royalties

If the deceased was also an MCPS member, mechanical royalties - the money due when songs are reproduced on CDs, vinyl, downloads, and streams - are collected under the PRS for Music umbrella but through a separate membership. When you notify PRS of the death, ask them to confirm whether an MCPS membership exists and to include it in the transfer. Do not assume it is handled automatically alongside the PRS writer account - get explicit confirmation that both memberships have been transferred.

What happens to royalties during the transfer

Royalties do not stop, and they are not forfeited by delay. While the transfer is pending, income continues to accrue in the deceased member's account and is released to the successor once the paperwork clears. The real risk of a slow transfer is not lost money but lost visibility - during the gap nobody is checking statements, chasing missing registrations, or responding to claims against the catalogue. The sooner the transfer completes, the sooner someone is actively watching the account again.

International societies and foreign royalties

Most overseas income does not need separate action. PRS and PPL have reciprocal agreements with foreign societies, so royalties earned abroad keep flowing into the UK accounts and follow the membership when it transfers. The exception is direct foreign memberships - if the deceased had joined ASCAP or BMI in the United States, GEMA in Germany, or any other society directly, each of those societies must be notified separately and will have its own documentation requirements. Check old statements and correspondence for evidence of direct memberships before assuming everything routes through the UK. Where a direct membership exists, the same principle applies as at home - the account is frozen to the deceased's name until the society recognises a successor, and income accrues rather than disappearing.

Common complications to watch for

Most transfers are straightforward, but a few situations need extra care:

• No will - where the member died intestate, the estate needs letters of administration rather than a grant of probate. GOV.UK's guidance on applying for probate explains how to obtain either document.
• Multiple beneficiaries - societies generally pay one account, so several heirs sharing royalties usually need a single designated payee or a formal arrangement between them.
• Unresolved co-writer splits - if works were registered with disputed or missing writer shares, the transfer can proceed but the underlying disputes pass to the successor and still need resolving.
• Rights held in a company - if the member ran their writing or recordings through a limited company, the company may hold the memberships and rights, and it is ownership of the company that passes through the estate instead.

After the transfer - the catalogue still needs administering

Completing the PRS and PPL transfers is the start of estate administration, not the end. Registrations do not maintain themselves - new uses of the music appear, unclaimed royalties surface, metadata errors block payments, and third parties file claims against works. Code Group Music administers inherited catalogues for estates and heirs on a commission basis - auditing what exists, correcting registrations, and collecting royalties from UK and international societies, with no upfront fees. If you are handling a deceased musician's catalogue and want to know what it contains and what it should be earning, start with a catalogue assessment at codegroupmusic.co.uk/#catalog-assessment.

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