PRS for Music CEO Andrea Czapary Martin to Step Down

PRS for Music announced today that its CEO, Andrea Czapary Martin, will step down at the end of 2026, concluding a tenure marked by rapid financial growth and sweeping organizational change.

Martin, who joined the U.K. collecting society in June 2019, led PRS through the pandemic, launched an Emergency Relief Fund to support members during lockdowns and oversaw the company’s relocation to a new London Bridge headquarters.

Under Martin’s leadership, PRS accelerated its strategic ambitions, delivering its five‑year plan in just three years. In 2021, she set a goal to push annual distributions above 1 billion pounds while reducing the cost‑to‑income ratio to below 10%. Last year, PRS reported 1.02 billion pounds in 2024 payouts — a milestone that took more than a century to reach the first 500 million pounds but only a decade to double it.

PRS also boasted of reduced fees — by as much as 20% for multiterritory online licensing. That’s “a real, tangible example of how we are constantly working on behalf of members to be competitive and to get more money to them more quickly,” Czapary Martin told Billboard in her entry for last year’s Women in Music list. “The success of the society should be defined by the success we pass on to songwriters and composers.”

Before joining PRS, the Canada‑born executive held senior roles across media, data and security sectors, including 27 years at Readers Digest Association, president of ADT Canada, and managing director of Royal Mail’s data services division.

PRS says Martin’s decision to step down — made jointly with the PRS Members’ Council — allows time for a smooth leadership transition as the society continues modernizing its systems and strengthening member services.

“I am immensely proud of everything PRS for Music has achieved, not least the doubling of revenues and distributions over the last 10 years,” Martin said, adding that innovation and agility have become embedded throughout the org. “My commitment remains to delivering the best possible outcomes for the songwriters, composers and publishers we represent.”

PRS Chair Julian Nott praised Martin for her unwavering commitment to the organization, saying “that spirit will undoubtedly continue until her departure.”

Martin’s departure comes as PRS faces public scrutiny from high‑profile members including Paul McCartney, Elton John and Thom Yorke, who have questioned transparency around administrative costs and the allocation of royalty income.