Blur drummer Dave Rowntree has received another, seemingly-final setback in his battle against UK collecting society PRS for Music over ‘black box’ royalties.
Rowntree had taken the society to the UK’s competition appeal tribunal in 2024, with the focus being on whether unmatched royalties were being distributed fairly. The following year, the tribunal ruled in PRS for Music’s favour.
Rowntree pursued the case in the UK’s Court of Appeal, but now that has upheld the tribunal’s decision, and dismissed his proposed class action on behalf of songwriters.
“The PRS is seeking to do its best to achieve a fair distribution,” ruled Lord Justice Miles in his lead judgement. “The very data failure problem which has given rise to the black box royalties means that there is no plausible basis for suggesting a more accurate (let alone fairer) distribution.”
PRS for Music welcomed the ruling, as you’d expect, saying that if the class action had been allowed “it would have resulted in PRS members suing the society they collectively own, despite there being soaring costs attached and no logical basis for doing so”.
