EMI Publishing has announced that it’s not going to be making its catalogue available at the new audio streaming rates for websites, that were recently published by the UK collection society PRS for Music. PRS recently cut its minimum stream rates from 0.22p to 0.085p last month, in a move that was intended to ease relationships with digital sites and YouTube in particular.

“We are not currently satisfied that the new rates – in particular the minima – proposed by PRS for Music for streaming services are appropriate”, said EMI Music Publishing’s general counsel for Europe Antony Bebawi.

In practical terms, this means that the company will itself adminster streaming services. It is regrettable that EMI Publishing and PRS did not come to a joint decision about rates. But on the other hand, the fact that digital companies were created on unrealistic rates is not really a valid argument for demanding reductions.