Stephen has been a Music Researcher for the Performing Right Society (PRS For Music) for over 20 years, covering DJ & Live performances, as well as Background Music, in venues & public spaces throughout Edinburgh & the Lothians, Fife & the Borders.

PRS for Music conducts a continuous survey of music played in venues and businesses throughout the UK. The information we collect is used to make sure the licence money paid by music users goes to the right people – the writers and publishers of the music played. Details of what music is actually played is necessary to distribute royalty payments to PRS for Music members as fairly and accurately as possible.

In 2018, PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited) and PRS for Music formed a jointly owned subsidiary, PPL-PRS Ltd, to collect all licence fees for public performances.