COMMUNITY groups could be charged hundreds of pounds a year for the right to play music at their meetings.

The shock warning comes from a Scout group in Clayton West, which is facing a £480 bill for playing CDs at its Wakefield Road headquarters.

The charge has come after the Performing Rights Society (PRS) the body which represents 80,000 songwriters and composers, was given the go-ahead to charge for playing recorded or live music.

The Scout Association contacted leaders to advise them of the charge, introduced this month.

Ewan Scott, leader of the 7th Huddersfield Scout group, said they had been told they were liable to pay the PRS 1.5% of their turnover for the right to play copyrighted music, amounting to about £480. The tariff is based on income rather than use.

Mr Scott slammed the new charges as an unfair “tax” saying it equated to about £5 per track played over the year.

The cost may cause them to axe music-based events.

He said: “Many community groups may be unwittingly breaking the law every time they play a piece of copyrighted music.

“In January 2012 the Performing Rights Society changed its rules following a case where the PRS successfully sued a Women’s Institute for using recorded music at one of their meetings.

“The court decided that playing music to a members club was playing music in public, and was no different from playing music in a shop or a bar, or any other public place.

“This means that every owner of any venue where music is played is responsible for ensuring that the premises hold the appropriate PRS Licence.

“So groups using halls where there is no licence can be causing the hall owner to break the rules if they so much as play a game of musical chairs.

“Groups with their own halls, such as Scouts, who use music as part of their programme from time to time, are also liable, and the tariff is based on income, rather than use.”

The move will hit churches hard as they have an exemption for church services, but not for the use of their halls.

Sports clubs are not exempt, neither are open spaces or anywhere that people can hear music played in public.

Mr Scott said many Scout groups and local organisations were unaware of the changes and others who did know may make the choice to break the law.

He said: “The fees are difficult to understand and difficult to justify for a couple of hours once a week.

“Our options are to pay or to simply stop all music performances of any kind.

“So no music quizzes, no use of music for Burns night or any other event, no Christmas music.

“But it goes deeper, we have a dance troupe booked for a performance that we may have to cancel because we now need a licence.

“The courts have given the PRS the right to tax the public on all music played outside the domestic environment.

“Even then, I work at home, and if someone visits me while I am at work I either have to turn the music off or pay a fee.

“The PRS has overstepped the mark and the courts have got this badly wrong.”

Barney Hooper, head of public relations at PRS for Music said: “Community buildings have always required a PRS for Music licence, which ensures the creators of music are paid when their music is used; licences start from £42 a year.

“From January 2012, following a change in the law, community buildings will also require a PPL licence, this ensures those that have performed and recorded the music used are also paid.

“PPL and PRS for Music are offering a joint licence to make this process simple and ensure when the owner or manager of a community building renews they will be covered for both parts of the required licence.’’