TheRetroArcade
Veteran
Posts: 2,005
Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
The Performing Right Society says a license to use music in a game does not constitute the right to distribute that music, via the game, to the public.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
Valve is facing a new legal headache in the UK, and this one is definitely not like the others. The Performing Right Society, a rights management organization that collects royalties on behalf of musicians when their work is played publicly, has launched legal action against Valve over its use of PRS members' music on Steam without permission.
The PRS says that many of the games available on Steam feature music made by its members, and that by making those musical works available to the public via streaming or download, "Valve is communicating these works to the public without a licence."
"Our members create music that enhances experiences and PRS exists to protect the value of their work with integrity, transparency, and fairness," PRS for Music chief commercial officer Dan Gopal said.
"Legal proceedings are not a step we take lightly, but when a business’s actions undermine those principles, we have a duty to act. Great videogames rely on great soundtracks, and the songwriters and creators behind them deserve to have their contribution recognised and fairly valued."
I initially assumed that this lawsuit was specifically about game soundtracks on Steam, which struck me as odd because surely no major game publisher would release an official soundtrack without the proper licenses in place. But a PRS spokesperson clarified that the action is related to any music, in games as well as soundtracks, that Valve hasn't separately licensed for distribution.
So, for instance, Rockstar will have obtained licenses to use PRS members' music in Grand Theft Auto games, but the PRS says those licenses do not allow for the separate act of making the game, which contains the music, available online.
"Copyright law gives rights holders control over certain acts, including copying, public performance, broadcast, and making available online," the spokesperson explained to me. "When someone wishes to use a copyright work like music in this way, permission from the rights holders is required, which is normally done via a licence. PRS represents songwriters, composers and music publishers, and licenses these uses of their musical works.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked ...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
Valve is facing a new legal headache in the UK, and this one is definitely not like the others. The Performing Right Society, a rights management organization that collects royalties on behalf of musicians when their work is played publicly, has launched legal action against Valve over its use of PRS members' music on Steam without permission.
The PRS says that many of the games available on Steam feature music made by its members, and that by making those musical works available to the public via streaming or download, "Valve is communicating these works to the public without a licence."
"Our members create music that enhances experiences and PRS exists to protect the value of their work with integrity, transparency, and fairness," PRS for Music chief commercial officer Dan Gopal said.
"Legal proceedings are not a step we take lightly, but when a business’s actions undermine those principles, we have a duty to act. Great videogames rely on great soundtracks, and the songwriters and creators behind them deserve to have their contribution recognised and fairly valued."
I initially assumed that this lawsuit was specifically about game soundtracks on Steam, which struck me as odd because surely no major game publisher would release an official soundtrack without the proper licenses in place. But a PRS spokesperson clarified that the action is related to any music, in games as well as soundtracks, that Valve hasn't separately licensed for distribution.
So, for instance, Rockstar will have obtained licenses to use PRS members' music in Grand Theft Auto games, but the PRS says those licenses do not allow for the separate act of making the game, which contains the music, available online.
"Copyright law gives rights holders control over certain acts, including copying, public performance, broadcast, and making available online," the spokesperson explained to me. "When someone wishes to use a copyright work like music in this way, permission from the rights holders is required, which is normally done via a licence. PRS represents songwriters, composers and music publishers, and licenses these uses of their musical works.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked ...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?