Does the BBC have any exemptions in the use of music for broadcasting?
The BBC does indeed have blanket PRS/PPL/MCPS licence agreements that allow it to use commercially-available music more-or-less anywhere – including on pan-European transmissions. It’s the only British broadcaster to have that kind of carte-blanche, and it was able to negotiate it partly because it’s a non-commercial organisation, and partly because it is such a major contributor to the coffers of the above-mentioned rights agencies! It still has to comply with normal music reporting procedures, but it doesn’t have to get advance individual permission to use commercial tracks. In contrast, if Granada want to use chart music on Coronation Street they would have to approach the copyright holder and ask permission for each individual track. There is no set scale for the use of commercial music – the copyright holder can ask as large or as small a fee as he/she wishes (viz. the Rolling Stones asking and getting $8 million for the rights to let Microsoft use Start Me Up on the Win95 adverts
