Declining royalties? Postponed weddings a bigger issue for most musicians as income dries up

The legendary Captain Ska made just £20k from its top 10 hit ‘Liar Liar’. A regular supply of wedding receptions would provide more revenue. But then Covid-19 happened

Captain Ska’s ‘Liar Liar’ has been repurposed to attack multiple politicians (AFP/Getty)

You may have seen the recent figures from PRS for Music showing that songwriters received a record amount of money from royalties last year. The total came in at £811m.

But as with so many industries, there is a sharp divide between the haves and the have-nots, one that the emergence of Covid-19 has only served to widen.

The organisation said that cancellation of live events will have an impact on royalties. But what may surprise you is that it isn’t necessarily the shuttering of live venues that has hurt jobbing musicians not in the “star” category for whom royalties from streaming barely amount to tuppence ha’penny.