The sound of Leicester

The UK’s music licensing company for over 130,000 performers and rightsholders liked the sound of Leicester and decided to make the city it’s official home some years ago. We asked the people of PPL PRS how they’re finding life in Leicester

Back in 2017, a new business made its home in Leicester city centre. After much research of neighbouring cities, music licensing company PPL PRS chose the iconic Mercury Place building as its

HQ. Leicester was chosen due to its excellent transport links to the capital, thriving local music scene and abundance of talented people keen to work for the business.

Now, five years on, the company has weathered the

Covid-19 storm, and is helping the music industry get back onto its feet, with the help of the thousands of businesses across the country who play music to their customers and employees and pay for TheMusicLicence. The fee paid for the licence, after operating costs, is paid back to the music creators and rightsholders, who are members of its parent companies PPL and PRS for Music, as royalties. This helps to ensure that they can continue to create and perform the music we all enjoy hearing every day.

Aside from issuing TheMusicLicence though, PPL PRS has also spent the last five years becoming a part of the

Leicester business community, supporting charities and events, sponsoring awards and creating partnerships with other local businesses to help build on the already very strong sense of a ‘commercial family’ that is present here in Leicester.

On being part of that community, Managing Director

Andrea Gray says: “It really is like an extended family unit,

That kind of bond between businesses is quite rare, and I am really proud to be a part of it

when times are tough we all pull together and help those most in need, and when a business has something to celebrate we are all right there, cheering along. That kind of bond between businesses is quite rare, and I am really proud to be a part of it.”

As the country emerged out of lockdown and businesses began to return to some sort of normality, PPL PRS looked at even more ways to support the local community and enterprises, which include the following partnerships. ◆ Business Partner with Curve – working with the theatre to make performing arts more accessible for those who may not have had the opportunity to attend shows and workshops. In particular, sponsoring a performance of The Color Purple to make hundreds of complimentary tickets available for local black, Asian or ethnically diverse community groups, young people and first-time attenders who experience a range of barriers in accessing theatre. This year, Curve and PPL PRS are working with local schools to bring theatre to young people as part of a community project across the city. ◆ Associate Partner with Leicester Tigers – music and sport have often gone hand in hand with the sound of crowds singing their team’s anthem around stadiums across the country and PPL PRS are working closely with the Tigers family to strengthen that link. ◆ Local charities – the staff at PPL PRS are choosing four different local charities to support this year. For the first half of the year they have supported and raised money for Humanity Without Borders and Help the Homeless Leicester. ◆ Award sponsorships – the business has sponsored various awards over the last 12 months, including Niche Business Awards, Leicestershire Live Business Awards, Leicester Alternative Business Awards, and Enterprising Women Awards, amongst a number of others. ◆ BID Leicester – Andrea Gray is on the board of the BID Leicester team, which is working to make Leicester an even better place to work, live, study, and visit. Andrea has previously said of moving to Leicester: “It’s a small, friendly city that’s actually really cool with lovely little independent businesses and beautiful countryside, I was only meant to be here for two years. It’s now been five.”

We are now halfway through 2022 and PPL PRS are continuing to cement themselves at the heart of the Leicester business community with plans to showcase what it is like to work with them, their commitment to diversity and inclusion, real career progression and role development, and offering everyone a place to work that is flexible, rewarding and fun.

Check for jobs and find out more about PPL PRS and the benefits of playing music in your workplace at pplprs.co.uk.

ANDREA GRAY (MIDDLE) AT THE NICHE BUSINESS AWARDS 2022