You don’t have to join these organisations, their web sites have a lot of useful information, and they might run music business seminars that are open to non-members (BASCA, MPG and MMF do). Some of them offer useful services for members (e.g. copyright storage, legal advice) and reduced prices. Others tend to respond to members questions only (notably MCPS and PRS) and many have useful information for members only.
| Initials and link |
UK music organisation name |
Members |
| AIM |
Association of Independent Music |
independent labels and distributors |
| APRS |
Association of Professional Recording Services |
audio recording professionals |
| BASCA |
British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors |
composers and songwriters |
| BPI |
British Phonographic Industry (British Recorded Music Industry Ltd.) |
bigger record labels (inc. Majors) |
| ERA |
Educational Recording Agency |
|
| ERA |
Entertainment Retailers Association (ex-BARD) |
record / video retailers |
| FAC |
Featured Artists Coalition |
recording artists |
| HAIL |
Music from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland |
|
| ISM |
Incorporated Society of Musicians |
professional musicians |
| JAMES |
Joint Audio Media Education Services |
audio recording professionals |
| MCPS |
Mechanical Copyright Protection Society |
publishers and writers |
| MCPS-PRS |
MCPS-PRS Alliance |
MCPS, PRS |
| MMF |
Music Managers Forum |
artist managers |
| MPA |
Music Publishers Association |
music publishers |
| MPA code of practice |
Music Publishers Association |
|
| MPG |
Music Producers Guild |
music and audio production pros |
| MU |
Musicians’ Union |
pro, semi-pro and amateur musicians |
| OCC |
The official UK charts organisation |
BPI and ERA (ex-BARD) |
| PCAM |
Society for Producers and Composers of Applied Music |
|
| PPL |
Phonographic Performance Limited |
record labels |
| PPL Performers’ money |
PPL black box (was Royalties Reunited) |
|
| PRS |
Performing Right Society |
publishers and writers |
| PRS Foundation |
PRS independent music funding |
|
| PRS Education |
PRS Centre for Education Management |
|
| UK Music |
UK Music |
as BMR plus? |
| VPL |
Video Performance Limited |
record labels |
| WMF |
Welsh Music Foundation |
|
| Initials and link |
UK music organisation name |
Members |
| AACP |
Alliance Against Counterfeiting and Piracy |
ERA, BMR, CLA, etc. |
| AURA |
Association of United Recording Artists
(now merged with PPL) |
artists and session musicians |
| BACS |
British Academy of Composers and Songwriters (now BASCA) |
composers and songwriters |
| BARD |
British Association of Record Dealers (now ERA) |
record retailers |
| BCC |
British Copyright Council |
|
| BMF |
British Music Forum (see UK Music) |
|
| BMR |
British Music Rights (now see UK Music) |
MPA, BASCA, MCPS, PRS |
| BVA |
British Video Association |
video publishers |
| CEFM |
Centre for Education & Finance Management (was CEDUMAN) |
|
| CEG |
Creative Export Group |
exporters |
| CLA |
Copyright Licensing Agency (literary works) |
publishers |
| DACS |
Design and Artists Copyright Agency (visual arts) |
designers and artists |
| DCF |
Digital Content Forum |
|
| Equity |
professional performers trade union |
professional performers |
| FACT |
Federation Against Copyright Theft |
media companies |
| IASPM |
International Association for the Study of Popular Music |
academics |
| JPO |
Joint Performers Organisation |
PPL, MU, MPG, Equity |
| MEC |
Music Education Council |
|
| MEF |
Mobile Entertainment Forum |
|
| MIA |
Music Industry Association |
suppliers and retailers |
| NMC |
National Music Council |
|
| NFMS |
National Federation of Music Societies |
|
| P@MRA |
Performing Artists’ Media Rights Association
(now merged with PPL) |
session musicians |
| RAJAR |
Radio Joint Audience Research Ltd. |
|
| Initials and link |
Music organisation name |
| A2IM |
American Association of Independent Music (AAIM) |
| AFM |
American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada |
| AFTRA |
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists |
| CEA |
Consumer Electronics Association |
| FMC |
Future of Music Coalition |
| Grammy |
Grammy.com now incorporates the Recording Artists Coalition (RAC) |
| NARAS |
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (see Grammy) |
| NMPA |
National Music Publishers’ Association |
| RIAA |
Recording Industry Association of America |
