Income Sources

The main sources of income distributed to performers from BECS are shown below.

Income Sources

• Private Copying

  Private copying is a levy on blank recording equipment or devices that is paid to rights-holders as compensation for legalised private copying. The UK is one of only three EU member states without such a levy. Nevertheless, revenue is collected by BECS on behalf of British performers from levies in other EU member states.

• Cable Retransmission

  Cable operators can pick up a terrestrial television signal and retransmit it over a cable network. In some European countries consent for this ‘cable retransmission’ to take place can only be given by a collecting society. In return for the retransmission, cable operators pay into a collective pot that is divided amongst the relevant rights-holders as payment for the use of their work.

• Communication to the Public

  Communication to the public revenue is paid by broadcasters in some European countries to collecting societies for he broadcast of performers’ work. This is the audiovisual equivalent of the ‘airplay royalties’ system that operates in the audio sector.

• BBC Cable Retransmission

  Equity negotiated a form of compensation for artists on Equity contracts in BBC programmes that are simulcast by cable and satellite in Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands. BECS distributes the payments on Equity’s behalf.

  Payments cover BBC1 and 2, BBC3 and 4, CBeebies and CBBC.

• BBC7

  Equity has granted a licence to the BBC for the broadcast of archive radio programmes made under Equity contracts on the BBC’s digital radio station. BECS distributed this revenue for the first time in 2004.

• New Media Services

  Equity has granted licences to the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 to use television programmes made under Equity contracts in various new media trials and services. Services include video-on-demand and catch-up television. BECS has started to administer the payments to artists on behalf of the broadcasters.

• Rental

  Rental remuneration is paid by video/DVD outlets or distributors for the use of performers’ work in the rental market. This revenue is collected by BECS from other European countries and distributed to its members in the UK.