Our work / From recognition to practice

Make the
record
complete.

PMRS focuses on the work that must happen before fairer recognition is possible: documenting contributors, agreeing on terms and making credits visible.

The work / In five parts
The starting point

A musician cannot point to a contribution that was never recorded.

The first job is practical. Build a trustworthy record, make expectations clear before release and help contributors understand the choices they are making.

01 / 05A record for every contributor.

Document.

The proposed voluntary registry records a contributor's role, known work and consent preferences. It is a starting point for a reliable contribution history, not a public list by default.

02 / 05Signed before the song drops.

Agree.

A useful agreement answers practical questions before a recording goes out: who played or produced, what was paid, how they will be credited and what future uses were discussed. Templates need qualified legal review before use.

03 / 05Full credit, every release.

Credit.

Release teams can confirm names and roles with contributors, then carry those credits into published descriptions and metadata. A credit should be checked with the person it names.

04 / 05Rights, taught plainly.

Teach.

Workshops and plain-language material should help musicians recognise the questions to ask about contracts, consent, metadata and available rights pathways.

05 / 05Pressure where it counts.

Advocate.

Evidence from contributors can inform conversations with recording teams, cultural institutions, industry organisations and policymakers about better practice.

Resources & progress

A useful
starting point.

Start with the practical guidance available today. Follow the work here as documented activity becomes part of the public record.

Available now / Practical guide

Before the recording.
Beyond the release.

Questions to help musicians and recording teams discuss roles, credits and written terms before recording, before release and after publication.

Read the practical guide

To keep your answers together, the guide also includes a session-record worksheet for creating a record to download or print.

Public updates / Not yet published

Progress needs
a source.

Verified PMRS totals and field reports are not yet published here. Future updates will distinguish documented activity from proposed work and explain the evidence behind each result.

How progress will be documented

Contributor documentation

Supporting evidence
Consent records, contribution details and a defined reporting period.
Planned public record
An anonymised summary of documented contributions.

Credit practice

Supporting evidence
Contributor-confirmed names and roles, with release references.
Planned public record
Examples of checked or corrected public credits.

Rights education

Supporting evidence
Session dates, learning material and feedback shared with permission.
Planned public record
Workshop reports and practical learning notes.
Field photographs & recordings

A public media archive is still to come. Each entry will need a date, context, contributor credit and permission to publish. The instrument image on this site is an editorial illustration.

Discuss a contribution
Development / Proposed sequence

Build carefully.
Show the work.

PMRS proposes three stages of development, moving from practical documentation towards a broader network of support. Each stage below describes work ahead.

  1. 01 / Establish the foundation

    Make the record useful.

    Develop a contributor format and consent process. Seek expert review of proposed agreements and identify a focused pilot.

  2. 02 / Learn from practice

    Listen, test, document.

    Use pilot sessions and contributor feedback to improve the approach. Prepare learning notes before expanding.

  3. 03 / Build continuity

    Make good practice repeatable.

    Develop local stewardship and institutional relationships. Use documented experience to inform future advocacy.

Working with existing systems

Build the bridge.
Then cross it.

PMRS begins with documentation, education and advocacy. It seeks advice and collaboration on how contributors can engage existing institutions. A record or credit does not by itself determine a person's legal rights or future income.

Help move the work forward