PPL appoints new director.

Keith Harris is employed to help cement relationships with performers

by Paul Williams

PPL is looking to bolster its relationship with performers by appointing seasoned industry player Keith Harris as their representative within the organisation.

Harris takes on a newly-created role of director of performer affairs, a position in which he will become the main focal point for performers within PPL. He will be the key link between PPL's performer board, the main PPL board and the management team.

His appointment, which takes place with immediate effect, follows the conclusion of the merger process between PPL, Pamra and Aura.

The merger, which follows five years of PPL discussions involving not just Aura and Pamra but the British Actors' Equity, Musicians Union and Music Producers Guild, means a single company will now be responsible for handling royalty payments from the broadcast and public performance of sound recordings. It more than doubles the number of PPL's performer members to around 30,000.

PPL chairman and CEO Fran Nevrkla describes Harris' appointment as a "phenomenally significant" part of the newly-structured PPL. "This is the most significant appointment because Keith will be the eyes and ears of the British performer coming into PPL," he says. "He will be the ambassador of the performer community in the PPL world."