As the PRS Members’ Fund celebrates over 90 years of providing a vital safety net for music creators, our network of dedicated trustees remains the backbone of our mission. In our latest Meet Our People profile, we sit down with industry veteran Simon Platz, Managing Director of Bucks Music Group, who joined our Board of Trustees in January 2024.

Simon brings a lifetime of independent music publishing expertise, a deep-seated passion for creators’ rights, and a unique family legacy of service to the Fund.

A Lifelong Legacy in Independent Music

For Simon, music publishing is much more than a career—it is a family tradition. As the head of Bucks Music Group, one of the UK’s most respected independent music publishers, Simon oversees an extraordinary catalogue that spans generations. From the timeless anthems of David Bowie, T. Rex, and Black Sabbath to the contemporary brilliance of modern media composers like David Arnold, Bucks Music Group has long been a champion of diverse musical talent.

“Independent publishers have a unique, close-up view of the challenges creators face at every stage of their careers,” Simon notes. “We don’t just manage assets; we manage relationships and livelihoods.”

This ethos of care naturally led Simon to the PRS Members’ Fund. Simon’s connection to the charity runs remarkably deep: his late father, David Platz—a pioneering figure in British music publishing—previously served as a director of PRS from 1973 to 1986. In this capacity, David Platz influenced policies and practices that supported the rights and economic interests of music creators during a period of rapid industry growth. By stepping into his role as a trustee, Simon carries forward a proud family legacy of royalty-based benevolence.

Steering Benevolence with Financial Expertise

The modern music landscape is incredibly complex, with fluctuating streaming economies and intricate global copyright structures. When creators hit hard times due to illness, injury, or economic hardship, navigating financial aid requires a sophisticated understanding of how music money moves.

Simon’s decades of experience in catalogue management, synchronisation licensing, and royalty distribution are vital assets for the Fund. Working alongside Chairman Philip Pope and the rest of the board, Simon helps ensure that our financial grants, emergency loans, and winter relief schemes are administered with maximum efficiency and impact.

“The Fund operates as a distinct, independent charity separate from standard PRS royalty distributions,” Simon explains. “Our goal is to ensure that when a crisis hits, the financial complexities don’t stand in the way of getting urgent, compassionate support to the songwriters and composers who need it most.”

A Champion for the Creative Community

Simon’s appointment to the PRS Members’ Fund is just one of many ways he gives back to the music ecosystem. He is a fixture of industry governance, serving on the PRS for Music Board since 2008 (including a tenure as Deputy Chairman Publisher), and contributing his leadership to the Music Publishers Association (MPA), the MCPS, and the PRS Foundation.

Through his work with the Independent Music Publishers Forum (IMPF), he also advocates for independent rights on a global scale.

Music creators give the world so much joy and cultural identity. Being able to safeguard them during their most vulnerable moments is not just a responsibility, it’s an honour.

Yet, it is the direct, human impact of the PRS Members’ Fund that holds a special place in his framework of industry service. Whether the Fund is providing access to specialised mental health support through BAPAM, delivering cost-of-living utility grants, or offering funded wellness breaks through the Reset & Rewind initiative, Simon is dedicated to keeping the creator at the center of the industry.

“Music creators give the world so much joy and cultural identity,” says Simon. “Being able to safeguard them during their most vulnerable moments is not just a responsibility, it’s an honour.”