Vince Power banned from hosting live music events

The Hop Farm Festival - CANCELLED 2013

Friday 5th to Saturday 6th July 2013
The Hop Farm, Paddock Wood, Tonbridge, Kent, TN12 6PY, England MAP
£135 for the weekend with camping, £110 without. £65 for either day.

Daily capacity: 52,000

Last updated: Fri 3rd May 2013

Irish promoter Vince Power has been banned from staging live music by London's High Court after he was found guilty of hosting events without a proper licence.

Power, who had a hand in Reading Festival, London Fleadh, Phoenix Festival, Madstock, and was operational manager of Glastonbury Festival founded The Hop Farm Festival, and Spain's Festival Internacional de Benicassim.

The Performing Rights Society for Music (PRS) claimed Hop Farm did not have copyright to play live music at the events in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, and they say he had announced plans for a 2014 Hop Farm Festival again without a proper licence.

PRS is a non-profit making organisation which collects licence fees for public performances of music and then distributes the money to the composers and music publishers.

A spokesman for PRS told the Kent Courier (here): "Whenever you play a sound recording in public, there are two separate licence fees to be paid. PRS distributes its licence fees to composers and music publishers and Phonographic Performance Ltd collects a separate licence fee which they distribute to record companies, recording artists and musicians.

"A licence is required for any event except a family or domestic gathering, such as a wedding reception or birthday party. PRS sometimes waives fees for charity events."

According to the court documents, 31 PRS members performed at the 2009 festival, at least ten in 2010, at least 27 in 2011 and at least 31 in 2012, all composers or songwriters who have assigned their performance rights in musical works they have composed or written to PRS.

They include Peter Gabriel, Bryan Ferry, Morrissey, Paul Weller, Van Morrison, Joan Armatrading, Echo and the Bunnymen, Florence and the Machine, The Bluetones, The Human League, Ocean Colour Scene and The Stranglers.

In addition to banning him from playing music in public until he brings his licences up to date judge Mr Justice Birss also ordered Power to pay £7,987 in legal costs run up by PRS in taking action against him.

The Kent Courier reveals that if Power does not obey the ban, the penalty can be fines of up to £10,000 and a prison sentence of up to six months.

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