About APRA|AMCOS

About
APRA|AMCOS
The Australasian Performing
Right Association (APRA) and the
Australasian Mechanical Copyright
Owners Society (AMCOS) work to
ensure that songwriters, composers and
music publishers are rewarded whenever
and wherever their musical works are
played, performed or reproduced.
We also provide simple, cost-effective
licences to Australian and New Zealand music
consumers, allowing them to get access to
the world’s musical repertoire. APRA|AMCOS
aims to secure an equitable level of payment
for music creators, provide strong advocacy
for their rights and the best customer service
for our members and our licensees.

Supporting
music creators
In 2010 APRA|AMCOS distributed $135.8 million
in royalties to 232,055 songwriters, composers
and music publishers in Australia, New Zealand
and around the world. However, we do more than
just administer copyright and pay royalties.
SUPPORT: We have an international network of Writer Services
Representatives based in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide,
Perth, Darwin, Auckland and London; in addition to our Publisher
Services team based in Sydney. Our representatives are committed
to providing the highest level of customer service and assistance
to our writer and publisher members.
EVENTS: Each year we connect with over 10,000 members
through our program of 200+ events, including networking events
(Connecting Members); specialist workshops with leading artists
(Songwriter Speaks); annual sessions on high demand topics
(Roadshows); and a biannual conference for music creators
(Song Summit).
AWARDS: We celebrate the success, dedication and talent of
our members by hosting several awards including the APRA Music
Awards, Art Music Awards, Screen Music Awards, APRA Silver Scroll
Awards NZ, and the Professional Development Awards. Additionally,
we sponsor various other music awards and prizes.
MUSIC GRANTS: We are firmly and proudly committed to
supporting Australian and New Zealand songwriters and the
organisations that sustain them. The APRA Board sets aside
1.75% of distributable revenue to fund projects and organisations
promoting the use and recognition of our members’ music. In
2010 -11 we funded 90+ organisations, programs and events
throughout both countries.
CAMPAIGNS: We work closely with Federal, State and Local
Government, as well as our music industry peers on key issues
including creators’ rights, support for Indigenous artists, the value
of live music, and music in the digital economy. We value positive
relationships with our clients across Australia & New Zealand, and
enlist the support of our network of 50+ APRA Ambassadors to
work with us on these issues.
INTERNATIONAL REACH: Through agreements with other
collecting societies, APRA|AMCOS ensure that Australian music
creators are rewarded for use of their work almost anywhere in the
world. We are also a key stakeholder in Sounds Australia, a cohesive
and unified platform to support the export activities of the Australian
music industry at key international music market events.

Representing
the rights of
songwriters,
composers
& publishers
APRA administers the performing and
communication rights of 70,000+
composer, songwriter and music publisher
members in Australia and New Zealand.
AMCOS collects and distributes
mechanical royalties for the reproduction
of its 10,000+ members’ musical works.
The Australian Copyright Act (1968) and the corresponding
New Zealand legislation, the Copyright Act (1994) gives
music copyright owners – songwriters, composers,
and publishers – a number of exclusive rights, including
the right to:
• Perform the musical work in public:
including in hotels, bars, nightclubs, restaurants,
cafes, retail shops, hairdressing salons, fitness centres,
cinemas, concerts and events; and by any means
including broadcasts on radio, television or in film,
via CD player, mp3 player, DJ or live artist.
• Communicate or broadcast the musical work to
the public by various means: including radio and
television broadcasts, streaming or webcasting over
the internet or from the cloud or as on hold music for
telephone calls.
• Reproduce or make copies of musical works:
for example to record on a CD, provide as a digital
download or to copy onto an iPod to play background
music at a commercial premises.
Nobody else can use the work in these ways without first
getting the owner’s permission, and if necessary, paying
a fee for this use. This is where APRA|AMCOS plays its
part. We work with music creators and music consumers
to streamline the permission and payment process
through our range of music use licences and regular
royalty distributions.

Bringing together
Music Creators &
Consumers
Music
Consumers
Retail Businesses
Digital Service Providers
Record Labels
Radio & TV Broadcasters
Nightclubs
Film & TV Producers
Schools & Universities
Music Consumers
use music in their
business to make
an impression and
connect with people.
TYPES OF
MUSIC USE
Public Performance/
Communication
Music used in pubs, clubs,
fitness centres, shops,
cinemas, festivals, whether
performed live, on CD
or iPod or played on radio
or TV, or as music on hold.
Reproduction
When music is recorded on
a CD, provided as a digital
download or copied onto
an iPod to play background
music at a commercial
premises.

Music. Rights. Respect.
These three words, and their relationship to
each other, represent the essence of what we
do, and why we do it. This simple, yet powerful,
formula functions as a guiding principle for all
our local and global efforts on behalf of music
creators, and our relationships with music
consumers.
Seek
Permission
Music Consumers
must seek permission
to use music and pay the
copyright owners through
licensing agreements with
APRA|AMCOS. We then
distribute the licence fees
as royalties to copyright
owners.
Music
Creators
Songwriters
Composers
Music Publishers
Music creators
sustain a living from
earning royalties and
are able to continue
creating music.

Music +
Rights =
Respect
“APRA has been one of the most important
supporting organisations in my career, both
in terms of being a financial supporter
through its collection role, as well as an
avenue for information and lobbying. As
artists, we all belong to various communities
and families. APRA is the organisation that
gives us the chance to belong to a greater
community with more strength and influence
to adequately represent us in society.”
“Personally, APRA has been a lifeline during
many years. A lot of musicians go through
challenging times financially and don’t have
the resources or the access to be able to
take charge of this side of things. Having
APRA be responsible for the collection and
representation of writers in the financial
realm, is seminal to the livelihood and
development of composers.”
APRA Ambassador LIOR ATTAR
APRA Member Since 1997
“APRA collects royalties that would be
impossible for writers to collect independently.
As a working musician and songwriter, you
need every bit of income you can get and
APRA provides an easy way to access these.
They are an extra link with your musical
community and offer unique music and
songwriting events, funding and awards.
I’ve been a member of APRA since my very
first gig. It’s been an important relationship
not only for the collection of royalties I wouldn’t
have had access to otherwise, but also for
the links and information to the wider music
community APRA has offered me”.
APRA Ambassador FLIP GRATER
APRA Member Since 2003

Every minute of every day, music is
used in businesses across Australia,
New Zealand and the world. Music is
a proven way of helping to establish a
deeper, emotional connection between
people and can improve business’ bottom
line. APRA|AMCOS provides a range of
licences to cover the many ways in which
businesses use music.
Our simple, cost-effective licences make it easy for music
consumers to meet their legal obligations when using
music in their business. Licence schemes are tailored
to our wide range of clients with different agreements
and tariffs for shops playing music, through to television
stations broadcasting music and record labels and digital
service providers distributing recorded music.
We offer access to the world’s repertoire of copyright
protected music. Music consumers can be confident that
the licence fees collected from our 75,000+ licensees are
fairly distributed by APRA|AMCOS to copyright owners.
Where it’s not possible to make a direct distribution, the
APRA and AMCOS boards have put in place policies for
distribution based on the best available data.
SUPPORT: Our highly trained Client Services teams
are available during business hours to offer advice and
ensure that the licensing process is as simple as possible.
RESEARCH: APRA|AMCOS has commissioned
numerous research reports, including papers outlining
the value of using background music in business and the
importance of live music. We also produce case studies
on successful music venues and offer advice to business
owners through our Sound Advice series.
STRONG RELATIONSHIPS: We have built strong and
positive relationships with key industry associations over
many years and collaborate with industry on issues like
the regulatory barriers facing music-based venues.

Photo courtesy of Academy, Canberra.
Contact us
Find us
www.apra-amcos.com.au
www.apra-amcos.co.nz
Visit us
Head Office|NSW|ACT:
16 Mountain Street Ultimo NSW 2007
VIC|TAS: 3 & 5 Sanders Place Richmond VIC 3121
QLD: 3 Winn Street Fortitude Valley QLD 4006
SA: Suite 29, 8-20 O’Connell St, North Adelaide SA 5006
NT: Level 1 Chin Arcade, Cavenagh Street, Darwin NT 0800
WA: Suite 1, 12-20 Railway Road Subiaco WA 6008
NZ: Unit 113, Zone 23, 21–23 Edwin St, Mt Eden, Auckland
Talk to us
AU: 1800 642 634 (music creators)
1300 852 388 (music consumers)
apra@apra.com.au
NZ: 0800 692 772 | nz@apra.com.au
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