Are we actually entitled to preform others music?

The venue owner pays (or at least should be) royalty fees, so that you can play this music (even if it says otherwise on the label). If it is an official party where everyone can come, the organiser usually has to pay this fee (depending on the country you live in, but in the EU it is like that).
If you have a closed party (where only guests you know come) usually nobody cares.

I’m very unsure on this too, I’m just starting to get all my kit together before starting to gig and by reading the PPL link Don posted above it seems like every dj needs on of these.. I download and buy all my music from loads of different places and so own it all but by law I or anyone else still needs a ppl license, how much do these cost is the question and how long does it last (I assume a year.)

What CAN they get you for then? If not a mobile DJ what is the BIG question? 🙂

Well firstly can i say thanks for clearing that up 🙂 Secondly It all boils down to owners rights I believe and what license the pub/bar/venue has and what the terms of the license are. I think in terms of being legal it probably isnt because even if you own the track you don’t pay royalties each track you play in a set so this rules itself out, what would be interesting to know is how you become a legal dj and what the legalities are!

Q) What Licenses do I need to become a Mobile DJ?

A) If you are a Mobile Disco intending to use original CD’s or Vinyl in order to provide the music at private functions within venues and to carry out Weddings, Children’s Parties, Anniversaries, Family Functions etc or any other event where guests are by invitation only, then no license will need to be purchased, as you will be fully covered for this performance by the venue, who should already have obtained an annual valid music license, for the playback of music and dancing within their premises.
The only exception to this rule, are Office Parties and Functions which are either open air or open to the general public, such as Fete’s, Carnivals, Sports Days’ etc where music will be played. This also includes events where a hall is hired for a public event and then tickets sold / admission charged for entry to that venue. An example of this would be a Soul Night or an Under 16’s function which is open to any member of the public, rather than invited guests. In these instances then it is up to the promoter / organiser of the event or the actual DJ to obtain a PPL License. These can be purchased either as a one-off occasion or a block annual license for regular weekly events.
Remember this PPL license is ONLY required, if the function is either open air or where an admission fee is charged. If the function is a private one, where the guests are invited friends and family of the client, then you will not need one!.
One thing to remember however, is that it will always remain the responsibility of the DJ to check that the venue you are working in, is correctly licensed for music before working there. If the venue is not licensed, and if it happens to be visited by the license enforcement team or an inspector then you may find yourself being held jointly liable with the venue owner should a prosecution be considered, so its always wise to ask, if their music license is not visible in the premises or above the door.
A PPL License, and further information can be obtained by calling the PPL Licensing team on:- 020 7534 1070
THE PRO-DUB LICENSE
If you are a Mobile DJ who uses MP3 or other digital media to provide the music as part of your set, then you will need to obtain a license which will enable you to convert music from one format to another (Called Format Shifting). This means that if you choose to ‘rip’ original music from CD to MP3, OGG, WAV or any other digital format, then you will need to pay a fee in order to license the process and make the music licensed. However, you cannot license digital tracks which are converted from CD’s which are borrowed or not owned by you and neither can you use the original CD’s and the digital tracks at the same time
Please note that this ‘Pro-Dub License’ is the name given to a fee applied to the actual conversion process and effectively gives permission to legally rip the music from a physical means to a digital file. It does not license the actual playback of the music once it is ripped, which means that the same requirements apply to the playback of the music once it is ripped, as generally applies to the use of CD’s or Vinyl.
At the time this article was written, the cost of the Pro-Dub License is £250 for a first year license to convert upto 5000 tracks. If you convert more than 5000 tracks then existing subscribers (license holders) can buy ‘top up’s to license tracks at a cost of £100 per 1000 additional tracks converted. However you should check the current pricing on the Pro-Dub website

link to this article is here: http://www.djsite.info/idx/0/054/article/DJ-Licenses–What-Licences-do-I-need-to-DJ.html

if you really want confirmation from PPL themselves i looked up their site http://HYPERLINK “http://www.ppluk.com/I-Play-Music/Businesses/Why-do-I-need-a-licence/”www.ppluk.com/I-Play-Music/Businesses/Why-do-I-need-a-licence/

under the “Do I need a licence?” section click on “Show more FAQs and you will see ” When would I not need a PPL licence to play music?”
it explains the following:

There are a number of circumstances in which, despite playing music at business premises, you may not require a PPL licence. Some of the more common situations are set out below. For more information about other situations in which a PPL licence may not be required, please contact us at 020 7534 1070.

A PPL licence is not required where a business or organisation does not play recorded music or where it is not playing it ‘in public’ (such as where it is only played at private family events such as weddings or birthday parties). Where only live music is played, a PPL licence is not needed but a PRS for Music licence will usually be needed to cover the use of the musical compositions and lyrics.

A PPL licence is also not required if none of the recorded music you play is owned by any of PPL’s members – such as recordings where the copyright has expired, or recordings sometimes referred to as ‘copyright free’ music (although the ‘copyright free’ music provider may still charge you a fee to use their recordings). The vast majority of recorded music is licensed by PPL – you can use the PPL Repertoire Search as a guide to what recorded music is covered by a PPL licence.

PPL also operates discretionary licensing policies for lone workers and home offices. If these apply to your business then (despite the strict legal position) PPL will not require you to obtain a licence. Details can be found in these FAQs, or you can contact PPL for more information.