This book investigates the historical development and administrative evolution of the Performing Right Society (PRS) as a central institution in the British music industry. Cyril Ehrlich, an economic historian, utilizes archival records and institutional data to document how the PRS established legal frameworks for collecting performance royalties. The text argues that the society's growth reflects broader shifts in the commercialization of music across various media platforms throughout the twentieth century.

Experts recognize this work as a definitive institutional history of copyright administration in the United Kingdom. Readers frequently note the academic rigor and the detailed economic focus that Ehrlich brings to the study of music licensing.