The two music licensing organisations are set to co-host Handmade festival’s second stage on 29-30 April. The partnership comes as the organisations launch a music industry joint venture in the city that is expected to open for business later in the year.

Now in its fourth year, the music and arts festival will be split between two venues: the Leicester O2 Academy and the Attenborough Arts Centre. The festival is organised and curated by local music promoters John Helps (Robots Needs Home), Matt Kirk (Firebug), Nik Sharpe (The Cookie) and Andy Wright (The Charlotte).

Cabbage, JAWS and Superfood are set to headline the PPL and PRS for Music stage over the weekend, with Twin Atlantic and Frightened Rabbit heading the main stage. The festival will also feature appearances from British Sea Power, Honeyblood and Pulled Apart by Horses.

“We’re absolutely delighted to have PRS and PPL involved in Handmade this year,” said John Helps, director of Handmade. “It’s important for us to work with organisations who support musicians as much as they do, and who are involved at every level. We look forward to welcoming them to a city that has such a fertile creative community, which nurtures its new acts and produces such a diverse range of music across its venues and events.”

PRS for Music and PPL work to support the music industry by representing the rights of songwriters, composers, publishers, record labels and performers ensuring they are fairly paid whenever their music is played or reproduced in public.

Paul Clements, commercial director at PRS for Music said: “We are excited and proud to be partnering with Handmade Festival in association with PPL in the vibrant City of Leicester, from where we plan to launch our new joint venture that will benefit customers from later this year.

“Handmade Festival is a lovingly crafted local multi-arts event and we applaud the festival’s organisers for continuing to bring such an eclectic mix of established and exciting grassroots music talents to its audience,” Clements adds.