Paul McCartney and Elton John Join Push for Answers on PRS’ Royalty Distributions

Paul McCartney, Elton John and Thom Yorke are among a group of U.K. artists who have written to collection society PRS For Music seeking clarity on how songwriters are paid through its royalty collection service, and have questioned the administrative costs of payment distribution.

As reported by Bloomberg, the music heavyweights were among 18 songwriters to add their names to the letter sent last week. The letter asks PRS to explain why it sets aside so much money out of royalty collections for business expenses. “This request is prompted by growing concerns about the transparency, accuracy and overall representation of members’ interests” the songwriters wrote in the letter, Bloomberg reports. They asked for a review into how these expenses are calculated, adding that “songwriters’ live