Irish performers hit by 'egregious' royalty breach, court hears

Irish performers including The Boomtown Rats and The Chieftains have had their royalty rights "egregiously" breached by the system operated by Phonographic Performance (Ireland) Ltd (PPI), the High Court heard on Tuesday. Barrister Andrew Fitzpatrick, opening the case for Recorded Artists Actors Performers Ltd (RAAP), said PPI "ran roughshod" over performers' rights. RAAP claims that of about €13.8 million collected in performance fees in 2024, only €2.9 million was returned to performers. PPI denies any breach and has filed a counterclaim. The eight-week hearing follows RAAP's 2021 High Court declarations that Irish law fails to properly transpose an EU directive on performers' remuneration. PPI allegedly withheld payments from some Irish acts due to database mismatches, and unilaterally changed qualification rules from 2012.