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 (BACS, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| AACP | Alliance Against Counterfeiting and Piracy | ERA, BMR, CLA, etc. |
| AIM | Association of Independent Music | independent labels and distributors |
| APRS | Association of Professional Recording Services | audio recording professionals |
| AURA | Association of United Recording Artists (now merged with PPL) | artists and session musicians |
| BACS | British Academy of Composers and Songwriters | composers and songwriters |
| BARD | British Association of Record Dealers | record retailers |
| BCC | British Copyright Council | |
| BMF | British Music Forum | |
| BMR | British Music Rights | MPA, BACS, MCPS, PRS |
| BPI | British Phonographic Industry | bigger record labels (inc. majors) |
| 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 |
| ERA | Educational Recording Agency | |
| ERA | Entertainment Retailers Association (ex-BARD) | record / video retailers |
| FACT | Federation Against Copyright Theft | media companies |
| HAIL | Music from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland | |
| ISM | Incorporated Society of Musicians | professional musicians |
| JPO | Joint Performers Organisation | PPL, MU, MPG, Equity |
| MCPS | Mechanical Copyright Protection Society | publishers and writers |
| MCPS-PRS | MCPS-PRS Alliance | MCPS, PRS |
| MEC | Music Education Council | |
| MEF | Mobile Entertainment Forum | |
| MIA | Music Industry Association | suppliers and retailers |
| MMF | Music Managers Forum | artist managers |
| MMDA | Merseyside Music Development Agency | |
| 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 |
| NMC | National Music Council | |
| NFMS | National Federation of Music Societies | |
| NERO | North East Recording Organisation | |
| OCC | The official UK charts organisation | BPI and BARD |
| PCAM | Society for Producers and Composers of Applied Music | |
| P@MRA | Performing Artists’ Media Rights Association (now merged with PPL) | session musicians |
| PPL | Phonographic Performance Limited | record labels |
| PPL Performers’ money | PPL black box | |
| PPL Royalties Reunited | PPL black box | |
| PRS | Performing Rights Society | publishers and writers |
| PRS Foundation | PRS independent music funding | |
| PRS Education | PRS Centre for Education Management | |
| RAJAR | Radio Joint Audience Research Ltd. | |
| VPL | Video Performance Limited | record labels |
| WMF | Welsh Music Foundation |
| Initials and link | Country | Music organisation name |
|---|---|---|
| A2IM | USA | American Association of Independent Music (AAIM) |
| AFM | USA, Canada | American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada |
| AFTRA | USA | American Federation of Television and Radio Artists |
| CEA | USA | Consumer Electronics Association |
| CISAC | world | International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers |
| EMO | EU | European Music Office |
| GESAC | EU | European Grouping of Societies of Authors and Composers |
| IFPI | world | International Federation of the Phonographic Industry |
| Impala | EU | independent record label group |
| IRMA | world | International Recording Media Association |
| Merlin | world | independent record label rights broker (WIN partner) |
| NARAS | USA | National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (Grammys) |
| NMPA | USA | National Music Publishers’ Association |
| Pro-Music | world | international music bodies promoting legal downloads |
| RIAA | USA | Recording Industry Association of America |
| WIN | world | World Independent Network |
| WIPO | world | World Intellectual Property Organisation |