MAICC 2026 Round 3 grantees announced

From Mumbai to São Paulo: Australian music publishing strengthens its global connections 

Ten Australian music publishing professionals will attend six major international music industry events through Round 3 of the Music Australia International Conference Contribution (MAICC) program. 

The latest round will support AMPAL members travelling to India, the United States, Spain, France, the Netherlands and Brazil, strengthening the international networks and market knowledge of Australia’s music publishing sector. 

Successful applicants will participate in All About Music in Mumbai, AMERICANAFEST in Nashville, the IMPF Global Music Summit in Palma de Mallorca, MaMA Music & Convention in Paris, Amsterdam Dance Event and two complementary events in Brazil: SIM São Paulo and Fluvial. 

AMPAL CEO Damian Rinaldi said the diversity of destinations reflected the increasingly global outlook of Australian music publishers. 

“International engagement is essential for Australian music publishers seeking to build relationships, explore new markets and create opportunities for the songwriters and catalogues they represent. 

“Through MAICC, our members can participate directly in important international conversations and establish connections that deliver benefits well beyond the conference itself.” 

The Round 3 cohort represents independent and major music publishers working across a broad range of genres and markets, including electronic and dance music, Americana, independent music and global rights management. 

Two recipients will travel to All About Music, India’s leading business-to-business music conference, while three will attend the IMPF Global Music Summit, a key international gathering for independent music publishers. 

Other recipients will strengthen Australia’s presence at major industry events in Nashville, Paris and Amsterdam, while the combined SIM São Paulo and Fluvial program will provide an opportunity to explore the rapidly developing Latin American music market. 

Together, the six international events will connect Australian music publishers with industry leaders, rights organisations, creative partners and emerging markets across Asia, Europe, North America and South America. 

MAICC 2026 Round 3 by the numbers 

• 10 music publishing professionals supported  

• 6 international events  

• 4 continents represented  

• 10 independent and major publishing companies represented  

• Strong representation across emerging, specialist and established music markets  

MAICC 2026 Round 3 - successful applicants 

All About Music - Mumbai, India 

• Charlton Hill - Uncanny Valley  

• Alvin Pandey - GBM Publishing  

AMERICANAFEST - Nashville, United States 

• Rachel Kelly - Community Music  

IMPF Global Music Summit - Palma de Mallorca, Spain 

• Linda Bosidis - Mushroom Music Publishing  

• Jane English - Wise Music  

• Grant Gillies - Gaga Music  

MaMA Music & Convention - Paris, France 

• Frank Rodi - Alchemy Entertainment  

Amsterdam Dance Event - Amsterdam, Netherlands 

• Julian McGruther - Sony Music Publishing  

• Carlos West - Peppermintblue  

SIM São Paulo and Fluvial - Brazil 

• Matthew Rogers - G.Y.R.O.  

This project is assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia. 

Nominations for 2026 AMPAL Board Elections Now Open

The 2026 AMPAL Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on Tuesday 24 November 2026. Voting for the election of directors to the AMPAL Board will take place prior to the AGM. 

In accordance with the AMPAL Constitution, nominations for election to the AMPAL Board must be received by the Company Secretary by close of business on Friday 25 September 2026. 

If you are an AMPAL member, you may be eligible to nominate for election to the AMPAL Board. 

2026 Board vacancies 

This year, five directors will be elected by the AMPAL membership. 

Per AMPAL’s Constitution, it has been determined that the following directors are required to retire: 

• Linda Bosidis (Mushroom Music Publishing) 

• Craig Monagle (Warner Music Publishing) 

• Simon Moor (Kobalt Music Publishing) 

• Philip Mortlock (ORiGiN Music Publishing)  

• Art Phillips (101 Music)  

All five retiring directors have indicated their intention to nominate for re-election. 

Board responsibilities and expectations 

AMPAL Board members are expected to: 

• Act with the utmost integrity and objectivity  

• Strive to enhance AMPAL’s reputation and performance  

• Uphold the highest standards of ethical behaviour  

AMPAL Board members must not: 

• Improperly use their position or information for personal gain  

• Engage in business transactions with AMPAL or related entities without full Board approval  

• Allow conflicts of interest to go unreported  

Directors acknowledge that: 

• They owe fiduciary duties to AMPAL, including duties of loyalty, diligence and confidentiality  

• Their primary responsibility is to act in the best interests of AMPAL and its members as a whole  

• In cases of potential conflict, including dual directorships, their duty to AMPAL takes precedence and they may be required to abstain from voting  

More information 

To discuss your eligibility or the responsibilities of serving as an AMPAL director, please contact Damian Rinaldi, AMPAL Company Secretary, at company.secretary@ampal.com.au 

A formal notice of the AGM, including nominee details and voting instructions, will be sent to eligible members at least 30 days before the meeting. 

Read the AMPAL Constitution: ampal.com.au/ampal-constitution 

No free pass: music publishers warn Canberra not to trade Australian songs for AI investment

As the creative industry backs an Open Letter to Government, AMPAL calls on the Australian Government to hold the line on AI, copyright and creator rights 

Australia’s music publishers have issued one of their strongest warnings yet over artificial intelligence and copyright, arguing the Federal Government risks trading away the rights of songwriters and composers in a rush to attract AI investment. 

The Australasian Music Publishers’ Association Limited (AMPAL) is backing the creative industries’ Open Letter to Government, which calls on the Australian Government to commit to the future of creativity in this country and reject any weakening of copyright protections for AI companies. 

AMPAL is encouraging music publishers, songwriters, composers, music businesses and the wider creative sector to sign the Open Letter and add their voices to the growing call for no use without permission and payment for their creative content. 

The Open Letter can be signed here: Open Letter to Government 

As creative industries leaders gather at Parliament House this week, AMPAL has called on Canberra to continue to reject any text and data mining exception or copyright carve-out that would allow AI companies to use music without permission. 

AMPAL CEO Damian Rinaldi is at Parliament House alongside AMPAL Board Director Art Phillips, joining a broader push from the music and creative industries to keep permission at the centre of Australian copyright law. 

AMPAL’s message is clear and simple: AI companies do not need weaker copyright laws to innovate. They need licences. 

“If AI companies want to use music, they need permission, they need a licence and they need to pay fairly”, Mr Rinaldi said. 

“Licensing is already working. Australia should not weaken copyright to solve a problem the market is already solving.” 

AMPAL says that any carve-out for AI companies would undermine the basic licensing framework that governs every other commercial use of music. 

Every other commercial user of music is expected to play by the rules. Radio stations, streaming services, advertisers, film producers, television networks, brands and venues all operate within copyright and licensing systems. 

AI companies should not be handed a special exemption simply because they are new, powerful or well-funded. 

Innovation is not a reason to bypass permission. Scale is not a reason to avoid licensing. 

AMPAL Board Director and Co-CEO of Mushroom Music Linda Bosidis said the issue is not solved by a levy, a fund or an after-the-fact payment scheme. 

“A levy is not consent. A fund is not permission. A payment does not replace the right to choose. 

“This is an existential threat. Songwriters, the human creators at the heart of every song, must retain the right to say yes, the right to negotiate and the right to say no. 

“Once permission is removed, creators no longer control their own work, they become a free resource for tech companies and an unpaid input into someone else’s business model.” 

AMPAL says Australia has already held the line on AI and copyright and should not now backtrack. 

AMPAL Board Director and Managing Director of Kobalt Music Publishing APAC Simon Moor said a text and data mining exception would risk undercutting licensing deals already being developed in Australia and overseas. 

“Backtracking on text and data mining would undermine the licences already in place that enable AI innovation, disrupt legitimate licensing negotiations underway in Australia and around the world, short-change Australian creators, and trade away our cultural assets for a fraction of their true value. 

“Australia must not become the weakest link.” 

AMPAL Board Director and Owner/Director of 101 Music Art Phillips said music should not be treated as raw material for the technology sector. 

“Music is not a pile of content waiting to be scraped. 

“It is the result of human lives, human stories and human craft. 

“Music publishers are custodians of those rights on behalf of creators. AI companies should not get a special carve-out from the rules every other commercial user of music follows: ask first, pay fairly and respect copyright.” 

AMPAL Board Director and Managing Director of Sony Music Publishing Australia Damian Trotter said the industry cannot afford to underestimate the stakes. 

“I don’t believe there is anything more important, or that poses a greater threat to songwriters, artists and the wider creative industries, than what is happening right now around AI and the proposed evisceration of copyright. 

It is inconceivable that this government could even be entertaining the idea of allowing giant technology companies, who fiercely protect their own IP, to ingest the totality of human creativity without consent, attribution or anything approaching fair compensation. 

And in return for what? A bunch of giant boxes in our suburbs, drawing astronomical amounts of power, competing with us for drinking water, all while replacing the next generation’s jobs. 

This is not simply about pushing back against another new technology. It is an existential threat, and it must be met with the full force of our industry.” 

AMPAL says music publishers support innovation, but innovation must be built on permission, licensing and fair value. 

The association says the question for Australia is not whether AI will reshape creative industries, but whether the people who wrote the songs, scores and catalogues AI companies want to use will still have the right to say yes, negotiate a fair price, or say no. 

AMPAL is calling on all music publishers, songwriters, composers and creative industry supporters to sign the Open Letter to Government and help reinforce the sector’s message: 

No use without permission and payment. 

Creative work must be licensed, not taken. 

AMPAL’s position is clear: 

No exceptions. No free pass. License it. 

 
Sign the Open Letter: Open Letter to Government