ICMP elects new Board and Bureaux

ICMP, the International Confederation of Music Publishers has held its Annual General Assembly during MIDEM in the presence of some 40 publishers and other key players from the music industry. A new Board and Bureaux for the term of 2018-2020 were elected.  

Elected to the Board of Directors were:
Nicolas Galibert (CSDEM, France), Ralph Peer II (NMPA, US), Kagenobu Kuwahata (MPAJ, Japan), Jodie Ferneyhough (CMPA, Canada), Ian James (AMPAL, Australia), Chris Butler (MPA UK), Kathleen Marsh (MPA US), Pekka Sipilä (FMPA, Finland), Götz von Einem (DMV, Germany), Paolo Franchini (FEM, Italy), Guy Henderson (Sony/ATV), Andrew Jenkins (Universal Music Publishing), Steve Clark (Warner Chappell), James Fitzherbert (IMPA), Ama Walton (BMG Rights Management), Pierre Mossiat (IMPF).
 
The Executive Bureau was appointed by the newly elected Board with unanimous approval for Chris Butler to continue serving as Chair, Nicolas Galibert and Guy Henderson as Vice Chairs, Ralph Peer II as Treasurer, and Götz von Einem as Secretary.
 
 “I would like to welcome the Board and Bureaux to the confederation,” said ICMP Chair Chris Butler.  “These two-year appointments are critical to the success and smooth running of our Confederation and I look forward to our continued collaboration over the coming year.”

Congratulations to all, including AMPAL Director and Mushroom Music Publishing MD Ian James who was re-elected to the Board representing AMPAL.

For more information see: https://www.icmp-ciem.org/news/icmp-elects-new-board-and-bureaux-1

2018 Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition winners announced

The 2018 Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition winners have been announced.  

Amy Shark has taken out the first prize in the 2018 Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition with Adore.

Courtesy of APRA AMCOS, Alberts and BMG, Amy has received A$50,000 - the largest first prize for any songwriting competition in the world – saying,

“It’s such an honour to win the 2018 Vanda & Young Song Comp for Adore. I wrote this song in my bedroom and it's a testament to what just one piece of music can do and how important it is to keep doing what you love. I’m proud to be part of a legacy of songwriters that together have raised over $1 million dollars for Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia.”

Amy Shark was finally able to commit to being a full time musician when Adore soared to the prestigious #2 spot on Triple J’s 2016 Hottest 100, followed by winning two ARIA Awards (Best Pop Release and Breakthrough Artist) in 2017 and Pop Work of the Year at the 2018 APRA Music Awards.  Her debut album, Love Monster, is to be released on 13 July and Amy has just announced she will embark on the national Love Monster tour commencing in Adelaide on 24 August.

Amy also receives an additional A$5,000 Show Group travel package awarded in honour of the late Graham Fear OAM, the greatly-admired Show Group GM and long-time Nordoff-Robbins board member and supporter who passed away in December 2017.

David Le’aupepe, frontman of APRA and ARIA Award-winning rock outfit, Gang of Youths, has claimed both 2nd and 3rd prizes with Let Me Down Easy and The Heart is a Muscle respectively.  Currently on tour in the UK, Le’aupepe receives A$10,000 thanks to AMPAL and A$5,000 courtesy of media sponsor, Seventh Street Media.

On hearing of his dual win, Le’aupepe said “There’s a sense of discomfort I feel when it comes to these things, because accepting praise is not exactly my forte. I never in my wildest imagined that in a competition like this, among so many actually talented writers, that I would manage to place. Thank you to those Judges who saw beauty and value in these songs of mine/ours, for it’s a reminder to me that they may not be completely garbage after all. Thank you to the scores of writers more deserving and gifted than me for shining as bright as you do. Lastly, thank you APRA AMCOS and Vanda & Young for contributing to such a worthwhile initiative in NRMTA. Their work is well and truly the most extraordinary part of this.”

This year a new prize was added to the pool for Best ‘Unpublished’ Work and the inaugural winner is another Queenslander, Grace Shaw, aka Mallrat.  The Brisbane-based teenager with a knack for creating outrageously catchy pop tunes won for Better.                                                                                                                                                                                                        Grace Shaw said today, “I’m so honoured to be the first winner of the Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition Unpublished prize. This category means a lot to me and all the unpublished writers out there entering songs, and I’m stoked that we helped raise over $1 million for Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy and their beautiful work.”

Applicants paid an entry fee of $50 per submission with all money raised going directly to Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia (NRMTA). This year’s competition raised an astounding $203,000 from entries making a total of over $1million raised to date.

Named after the iconic songwriters and founding members of The Easybeats, Harry Vanda and the late George Young, the competition raises funds for NRMTA and its work with children and adults with physical and intellectual disabilities, autism, trauma, illness, dementia, behaviour disorders and learning difficulties.

APRA AMCOS Chief Executive, Brett Cottle, said, “Congratulations to the winners and thank you to all the songwriters who generously participated in the Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition. It’s a special competition for many reasons, with the tremendous support for Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia very heartening. Songwriters truly make a difference.”

David Albert,  Group CEO, Alberts, added, “On behalf of Alberts, I would like to thank all the songwriters who entered and shared their work in this year’s Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition. Their support has helped to push the overall amount raised to above $1 million since the competition’s inception; an incredible result and a demonstration of the commitment of the music industry to important community initiatives. It is a privilege for Alberts to partner with APRA AMCOS and BMG and we are proud to be able to continue the legacy of Harry Vanda and the late George Young.”

Amy Shark joins previous winners of this prestigious competition, Gretta Ray (2016), Husky Gawenda (2014), Isabella Manfredi (2013), Kimbra Johnson (2011) and Megan Washington (2009).

The complete winners’ details are:

1st Place – A$50,000: Adore
Amy Shark (Published by Mushroom Music Publishing)

2nd Place – A$10,000: Let Me Down Easy
David Le’aupepe of Gang of Youths (Published by Universal Music Publishing)

3rd Place – A$5,000: The Heart is a Muscle
David Le’aupepe of Gang of Youths (Published by Universal Music Publishing)

Unpublished Work – A$5,000: Better
Grace Shaw aka Mallrat (Unpublished)

Matthew O'Sullivan, General Manager of AMPAL said "Congratulations to the fantastic finalists and winners of the 2018 Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition, and a big thank you to all songwriters who were a part of the Competition this year.  AMPAL is very proud to support the Competition and the crucial work Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia."    

2018 APRA Music Award Winners Revealed

The 2018 APRA Music Awards have been held at the International Convention Centre in Sydney, celebrating the talented songwriters and music publishers that have achieved outstanding success in the past year. An exciting mix of established pros including Paul Kelly and Birds of Tokyo were honoured as was a new wave of songwriters such as Ben Abraham, Amy Shark, Morgan Evans and Sarah Aarons.  

Among the Award winners, Firewood and Candles, co-written by Australian national songwriting treasure Paul Kelly (Sony/ATV Music Publishing) and Melbourne music all-rounder Billy Miller (The Ferrets) has taken out the coveted peer voted APRA Song of the Year. 

A.B. Original (Briggs and Trials) took out the 2018 Songwriter of the Year award. The powerful duo set the music world ablaze with their debut album Reclaim Australia. 

The APRA Board of Directors have named Sarah Aarons (Sony/ATV Music Publishing) the Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year. 

The Overseas Recognition Award has gone to Ben Abraham and Kylie Sackley - two equally deserving songwriters both having huge success internationally.

Legendary rock group Midnight Oil accepted the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music, an honor that APRA confers on a group or individual who has contributed immensely to Australian music. Midnight Oil embody every attribute that the Ted Albert Award seeks to achieve.  

Finally, APRA Chair Jenny Morris delivered a moving tribute to much respected, outgoing APRA AMCOS CEO, Brett Cottle who leaves with more than 40 years’ service to APRA AMCOS, and 28 of those years as its Chief Executive.

AMPAL congratulates all its APRA Award winning members, and all Award nominated songwriters and publishers.  

For the full list of the 2018 APRA Music Award Winners, see: http://apraamcos.com.au/news/2018/april/2018-apra-music-award-winners-revealed-paul-kelly-sarah-aarons-and-ab-original-honoured-among-peers/

Australian Musicians Rock the (Parliamentary) House

John Paul Young, Kasey Chambers, Ian Moss and All Our Exes Live In Texas discuss key issues relating to music industry with Government leaders

Presented by APRA AMCOS, ARIA, AHA and PPCA

A delegation of Australian songwriters, musicians, recording artists and key industry leaders came together at Parliament House in Canberra last night to stress the importance of government support for the contemporary music industry at the second annual Parliamentary Friends of Australian Music (#PFOAM) Rock the House event.

More than 200 Ministers, Senators and Parliament House staff sang, danced and rocked out to performances by John Paul Young, Kasey Chambers, Ian Moss and All Our Exes Live in Texas, and heard about key issues affecting the industry, including:

• Protecting creators’ rights
• The value of copyright
• The importance of local content
• Supporting Australia’s music micro-businesses
• Australia’s global music export potential 

They were joined by representatives from APRA AMCOS, ARIA, PPCA, AIR, Music Rights Australia, Live Music Office, AMPAL, state-based peak music bodies, the Australian Copyright Council, Copyright Agency, Screenrights and SOUNDS AUSTRALIA.

QUOTES FROM ARTISTS WHO PERFORMED AT ROCK THE HOUSE

All Our Exes Lives in Texas' Hannah Crofts on on the importance of Australian content on radio: “with commercial airplay we can be career artists, and be sustainable, and our careers can continue for our whole lives”.

Ian Moss: “(as a songwriter) royalties are your living. You work hard to write a song. If we could all do that we’d all be writing hits everyday...people love their live music, but people have got to write that music in the first place and they need to make a living”.  

Kasey Chambers: “Touring for me, particularly here in Australia, is everything. It feeds my kids...I make my living from touring music, and it’s important for me to get out to all the regional places as well. I tour most of the year and visit some of the littlest towns throughout Australia, but we have to have these venues to play in”.

John Paul Young: “Please just protect our copyright. That’s all I’ve got to say”.

To celebrate the event SOUNDS AUSTRALIA invited a number of Federal backbenchers to select their favourite Australian songs for their I Picked This playlist.

Three Liberal, three Labor, two Nationals and one Greens MP have chosen songs that run the gamut of Australia’s musical history, from the classic to the current. Read more about the backbenchers here and listen to the playlist on Apple Music, Deezer, Spotify and YouTube.

AUSTRALIAN CONTEMPORARY MUSIC INDUSTRY IN NUMBERS

Australian contemporary music is big business

• Music Australia has estimated the music sector contributes $4 to $6 billion to the Australian economy1
• Copyright industries generate more value add to the Australian economy than manufacturing and health care; recorded music is one of the most significant contributors2
• Evidence from overseas suggests that the introduction of a Fair Use exception will result in a drop of $1.3 billion in Australia’s GDP3
• More Australians attend live music than sport4
• Australia’s live contemporary music industry generates revenues of $1.5 to $2 billion annually5

Contemporary music generates jobs and growth

• Expenditure associated with live music making in Australia is estimated to generate in the order of 64,747 jobs, 37,652 of which are full-time6
• Creative industries are strong contributors to employment growth, growing 40 per cent faster than the economy as a whole7
• Australian music and performing arts businesses comprise almost one per cent of all Australian small businesses8.

Our Sources

 1 Estimating the Value of the Music Sector (2005-2014) – Music in Australia Knowledge Base
2 Australian Copyright Council (2015)
3 Understanding the costs and benefits of introducing a ‘fair use’ exception (2016) PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia
4 Roy Morgan Research (2014) Rocking on or all jazzed up, more Aussies go to see live music than live sport
5 E&Y for APRA Economic contribution of the venue-based live music industry in Australia (2011) & 2014 Ticket Attendance and Revenue Survey Live Performance Australia (2015)
6 The Economic and Cultural Value of Live Music in Australia, University of Tasmania (2014)
7 ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation (CCI) CREATIVE ECONOMY REPORT CARD (2013)
8 Valuing Australia’s Creative Industries Final Report (2013) Creative Industries Innovation Centre

Full press release at: http://apraamcos.com.au/news/2018/march/australian-musicians-rock-the-parliamentary-house/

Industry works together on Australian music

Commercial radio stations in Australia are required under the Commercial Radio Code of Practice  - Australian Music  - to play a percentage of music between 6am and 12 midnight seven days a week that is performed by Australian artists. In 2017, public comments were made after the BIGSOUND Conference in September that the music industry had concerns that some commercial radio stations were not consistently meeting their Australian music quotas. These comments followed discussions in a closed session at the Conference. 

APRA AMCOS and ARIA considered the issue, and the matter was raised directly with Commercial Radio Australia (CRA) in December 2017. More recently APRA AMCOS, ARIA and CRA met and agreed to work collaboratively to determine whether non-compliance is a real problem and, if so, the extent of the problem and how it could best be addressed.

The three organisations will now work together to obtain and review relevant data. While any stations that are not compliant will be contacted and requested to address the issue, it should be noted that CRA expects that the majority of Australian commercial radio stations will be found to meet their quotas and as in the past in some cases exceed them. This process is a voluntary joint process and does not form part of Code compliance requirements.

In general, in relation to any part of the Code (including the obligations relating to Australian music), if a listener has a complaint in relation to compliance the process is that they write directly to the station concerned.  The station must then reply in writing within 30 business days. If the listener is not satisfied with the response, they may then escalate the complaint to the Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA), the regulator responsible for oversight of media and communications codes of practice. The Code can be found at commercialradio.com.au.

For the full statement, see http://apraamcos.com.au/news/2018/march/industry-works-together-on-australian-music/

2018 APRA Awards nominations announced

Nominees for the 2018 APRA Music Awards to be held on Tuesday 10 April in Sydney have been announced.

Leading the nominations with four nods a piece are Grammy Award winning songwriter and producer M-Phazes (Universal Music Publishing), who is nominated for his songwriting collaborations with Amy Shark and Illy, and PJ Harding, (pka Thief) (Universal Music Publishing) nominated for APRA Song of the Year with co-writers Ivy Adara (Kobalt Music Publishing obo Prescription Songs) and Louis Schoorl (Kobalt Music Publishing obo I Am A Sherpa Music, Amsterdam Central Music and Seven Peaks Music) for Fallin' (performed by Jessica Mauboy) among other categories.

In the hotly contested Song of the Year category, APRA members have voted for Amy Shark (Mushroom Music obo UNIFIED Music Publishing) for the second year in a row, this time for Weekends. Paul Kelly (Sony/ATV Music Publishing) and co-writer Billy Miller are nominated for Firewood and Candles while Gang of Youths frontman David Le’aupepe’s (Universal Music Publishing) song What Can I Do If The Fire Goes Out? is also a contender. Ainslie Wills and Lawrence Folvig (Sony/ATV Music Publishing) round out the category for Running Second.

For the full list of nominees, see http://apraamcos.com.au/news/2018/march/2018-apra-music-awards-nominations-announced-with-producer-songwriters-leading-the-charge/.

AMPAL congratulates all APRA Award nominated writers and publishers!

Join EveryOneBand - The World's Biggest Band!

EveryOneBand has opened its doors to invite everyone to make music history! It's free to join, there are no auditions needed and YOU could be a part of something huge.

EveryOneBand already has over 1200 members including Midnight Oil (Peter Garrett, Rob Hirst, Jim Moginie, Martin Rotsey, Bones Hillman),  Kasey Chambers, Paul Kelly, Cold Chisel (Jimmy Barnes, Ian Moss, Don Walker, Phil Small), The Preatures, DMAs, Powderfinger (Bernard Fanning, Ian Haug, John Collins), Murray Cook, Anthony Field, Jeff Fatt from The Wiggles, Kate Miller-Heidke, Ross Wilson, The Angels, Baby Animals, Moving Pictures, GANGgajang, The Church, Delta Riggs, Sheppard, Megan Washington, Kirin J Callinan, Deborah Conway, Mondo Rock (Eric McCusker, James Black, Paul Christie), Patience Hodgson, Wendy Matthews, Diesel, Richard Clapton, GANGgajang, Rai Thistlethwayte, Katie Noonan, Steve Balbi, Hayley Mary, Brendan Gallagher, Mark Williams, Eric Weiderman, James Valentine, Mark Gable, Leah Flanagan, Alex Smith, Gary Pinto, Jade MacRae, Peter Maslen, Café At The Gate Of Salvation gospel choir and many, many, many more.

These amazing artists have all joined EveryOneBand and are inviting YOU to join as well. They're also contributing to the band's first single, Stand By You - and want YOU to be a part of the biggest band and largest interactive recording project ever!

First step: visit http://everyoneband.com/ and simply hit 'join' and you're on your way.

Download backing tracks and anything else you need to record yourself singing or playing along

Send in your file and it’ll be added to the final mix. Easy!

The deadline for submissions is 20th April 2018 so get cracking! The single will then be mixed and released with 100% of all record royalties and all profit from merchandise going to Support Act, the Australian music charity assisting musicians, road crew and anyone that has worked professionally in music. EveryOneBand is shooting for a #1 and Gold record status. Join now to be part of something historic and to help raise as much money as possible for Support Act, the Australian music charity.

See the EveryOneBand website for all the information you need: http://everyoneband.com/.

For more information on Support Act, visit https://supportact.org.au/.

Ian James elected to the Board of the Independent Music Publishers Forum

The Independent Music Publishers Forum (IMPF), a grouping of 65 indie music publishers from around the world, held its annual General Assembly in London on March 07. A new Board of Directors for the term of 2018 - 2020 was elected at the meeting.  Ian James, Managing Director of Mushroom Music Publishing and also an AMPAL Board Director was elected to the IMPF Board at the meeting. 

The new Board is as follows: Simon Platz - Bucks Music Group Ltd. (UK), Annette Barrett – Reservoir/Reverb Music (UK), Julio Guiu Marquina - Ediciones Musicales Clipper’s, SL (ES), Niclass Bjorlund - Edition Bjorlund AB (SE), Halit Uman - Halit Music (FR), Maria Romana Francesca Trainini - Oyez! SRL (IT), Rolf Budde - Budde Music Publishing (DE), Rob Guthrie - (US), Pierre Mossiat - Strictly Confidential Music Publishing (Benelux), Filippo Sugar - Sugarmusic (IT), Teresa Alfonso - Teddy Sound SL (ES), Jake Wisely – Concord Music (US), Ichi Asatsuma – FujiPacific (JP), Justin Kalifowitz - Downtown Music Publishing (US), Ian James – Mushroom Music Publishing (AU), Teri Nelson Carpenter – Reel Muzik Werks (US), Paulina Golba – Golba Music (PL), David Alexander – Sheer Publishing Africa (ZA), Thomas Jamois – Velvetica Music Publishing (FR), Andrei Filip - K9 Music Publishing (ROU). 

IMPF President Pierre Mossiat opened the meeting by reporting on the Forum’s activities over the past 12 months. Guests and speakers included Robert Ashcroft, CEO of PRS for Music; Eddie Schwartz, President of CIAM; Victoria Campoamor, Head of International Music Publishing Partner Operations of YouTube/Google; Jake Wisely, Chief Publishing Executive of Concord Music; Annette Barrett, MD of Reservoir/Reverb; Teresa Alfonso, CEO of TeddySounds.

For more information see: http://www.impforum.org/

Congratulations Ian and all directors!

Closing date extended for Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition

The Vanda & Young Song Competition has announced a new closing date of 5PM AEDT 15 February 2018.

AMPAL is proud to once again sponsor the Competition.

Songwriters worldwide are invited to enter the 2018 Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition to go into the running for a first place cash prize of A$50,000, courtesy of APRA AMCOS, Alberts and BMG.  Two runners-up cash prizes are also on offer with second place receiving A$10,000 thanks to AMPAL and third place taking home A$5,000 courtesy of media sponsor, Seventh Street Media. An exciting addition to the prize slate this year is A$5,000 for the best ‘Unpublished’ work.

Since the prestigious competition began, it has not only boosted the careers of winners Megan Washington (2009), Kimbra (2011), The Preatures (2013), Husky Gawenda (2014) and Gretta Ray (2016), but to date has raised over A$800,000 for Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia (NRMTA).

For more information and entry details, go to: http://apraamcos.com.au/vandayoungsongcomp/ 

Winners of the 2017 National Songwriting Competition announced!

The winners of the 2017 Australian Children's Music Foundation National Songwriting Competition have been announced!

Every year, every student from every school across Australia is invited to put pen to paper and enter their original song for a chance to win prize-money that can be allocated towards musical equipment and tuition, as part of the ACMF’s annual National Songwriting Competition. The annual National Songwriting Competition is a nationwide initiative designed to encourage creativity and self-expression through songwriting. Since its inception, over 30,000 songs have been written for the Competition. “Songwriting is a highly creative process. We want kids to free their imagination and engage with learning in a fun way” – Don Spencer, Founder & CEO.

AMPAL is very proud to sponsor the 2017 competition.  AMPAL General Manager Matthew O'Sullivan remarked that "for music publishers, it is extremely important to encourage the next generation of Australian songwriters, so that we can all continue to hear great Australian stories through music.  The National Songwriting Competition and the work of Don Spencer and the ACMF is incredibly important in providing that encouragement."

For the full list of winners and to hear their entries, see: http://acmf.com.au/winners-nsc-2017/

Congratulations to the winners and to all entrants!  

AMPAL 2017 Board Election Results

At the 2017 AMPAL Annual General Meeting on 22 November, the following Directors were declared as re-elected to the AMPAL Board:

Matthew Capper (Warner/Chappell Music Australia Pty Ltd).

Jaime Gough (Native Tongue Music Publishing).

Clive Hodson (Perfect Pitch Publishing).

Ian James (Mushroom Music).

Damian Trotter (Sony/ATV Music Publishing).

Matthew Capper was returned as Chair, and Clive Hodson was returned as Deputy Chair.

The AMPAL Board is elected by the AMPAL membership.

Click here for the full list of the current AMPAL Board.

2018 Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition Now Open

AMPAL is proud to once again sponsor the Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition, which is now open.

Songwriters worldwide are invited to enter the 2018 Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition to go into the running for a first place cash prize of A$50,000, courtesy of APRA AMCOS, Alberts and BMG.

Melbourne singer-songwriter Gretta Ray earned top honours in last year’s competition for her beguiling song Drive. “The Vanda & Young prize made a huge impact on what I have achieved in the last year. It assisted me in being able to travel overseas to America, write and work on new music there with amazing people, and provided me with the time to wholly focus on my music. That in itself is a gift,” said Ray.

Two runners-up cash prizes are also on offer with second place receiving A$10,000 thanks to AMPAL and third place taking home A$5,000 courtesy of media sponsor, Seventh Street Media. An exciting addition to the prize slate this year is A$5,000 for the best ‘Unpublished’ work.

Since the prestigious competition began, it has not only boosted the careers of winners Megan Washington (2009), Kimbra (2011), The Preatures (2013), Husky Gawenda (2014) and Gretta Ray (2016), but to date has raised over A$800,000 for Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia (NRMTA).

The 2018 competition is set to take total funds raised since the inception of the competition past A$1million, with the full A$50 entry fee per song going directly towards the work of NRMTA, which uses music therapy to help people cope with the struggles of living with a wide range of needs. These include children and adults with physical and intellectual disabilities, autism, trauma, illness, dementia, behaviour disorders and learning difficulties.

This year’s judging panel features some of the best ears in the business with over 40 songwriters, producers, media and industry professionals confirmed to take part. They include three-time APRA Songwriter of the Year Daniel Johns, electronic artist and triple j host KLP, ARIA-winner Montaigne, and The Bamboos’ Lance Ferguson, co-writer on the Kungs vs Cookin’ On 3 Burners global smash This Girl.

Daniel Johns said, “Vanda & Young took Australian songwriting to the world and blazed a trail for the rest of us to follow. I’m pleased to be involved as a judge for the first time and I am looking forward to hearing some new music.”

Named after the iconic songwriters and founding members of The Easybeats, Harry Vanda and the late George Young, the competition launch coincides with a month of celebrating one of Australia’s most loved bands with a vinyl reissue, a two part mini-series Friday On My Mind on the ABC, and a tribute EP, Rebeat.

David Albert, Managing Director of Alberts said:
“Alberts is thrilled to continue its long-term association with APRA AMCOS and also partner for the first time with BMG for the 2018 Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition.  This competition recognises the significance Harry Vanda and the late George Young have to the music community through their legendary songwriting partnership, and provides a great opportunity to support Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia.”

Heath Johns, Managing Director of BMG Australia said:
“BMG is very proud to partner with our friends at Alberts and APRA AMCOS for the 2018 Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition. The competition provides a unique platform for songwriters to have their music heard by some of the country’s finest songwriters and also contribute to an important cause. The prize money on offer should also make a meaningful difference to the eventual winner’s career and we are very happy to get behind that.”

Matthew O'Sullivan, General Manager of AMPAL said:
AMPAL is very proud to support the Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition.  It is a fantastic competition that provides a great opportunity for songwriters, while at the same time contributing to the life-changing work of Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia.

Entries close 17 January 2018.

For more information and entry details, go to: http://apraamcos.com.au/vandayoungsongcomp/ 

2017 Screen Music Awards Winners Announced

The 2017 Screen Music Awards winners have been announced.  Australian screen composers were honoured as winners in front of their peers at the awards ceremony at the Recital Centre in Melbourne. Staged jointly by APRA AMCOS and the AGSC (Australian Guild of Screen Composers), the event paid tribute to composers across 12 categories who impressed a panel of judges with their work in the previous year.

Screen composer Antony Partos (Animal Kingdom, The Rover, Redfern Now) has taken out
the Feature Film Score of the Year award for his original score for the Australian feature film Jasper Jones.

Elliott Wheeler (Sony/ATV Music Publishing (Aust) obo Twenty Fifteen Avenue Music) won the award for Best Music for a Television Series or Serial for his work on Baz Luhrmann's The Get Down. 

Composer Martin Armiger was presented with the inaugural Distinguished Services to the Australian Screen Award.

AMPAL members Sony/ATV Music Publishing (Aust), Kobalt Music Publishing (Aust) and BMG AM each represent winning composers at this year's awards.

For the full list of winners, see http://apraamcos.com.au/news/2017/november/2017-screen-musicawards-winners-announced/.

Congratulations to all award winners and nominees!

The Economic Contribution of Australian Copyright Industries

The Australian Copyright Council has just published a report by PwC on the Economic Contribution of Australian Copyright Industries 2002-2016. 

This is the fifth report of its kind commissioned by the Australian Copyright Council. Based on World Intellectual Property Organisation methodology, this research facilitates a comparison between Australia and other economies over time.  

The report shows that copyright industries continue to make a significant contribution to the Australian Economy.  

The PwC report found that copyright industries:  

• Employed over 1 million Australians (approximately 1,022,000 people), which constituted 8.6 per cent of the Australian workforce.   
• Generated economic value of $122.8 billion, the equivalent of 7.4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). 
• Generated just over $6.6 billion in exports, equal to 2.7 per cent of total exports.  
• Copyright industries are the 3rd biggest industry in the Australia economy.    

The PWC report was launched at the Copyright Law and Practice Symposium on the 12th October 2017, and is now available to the public.

For more information and to view the report: http://www.copyright.org.au/acc_prod/ACC/Research_Papers/PwC_Report-_Value_of_Copyright_Industries.aspx

APRA AMCOS announces new Chief Executive Officer

The APRA Board of Directors has today announced that Dean Ormston will succeed Brett Cottle as the organisation’s Chief Executive Officer when Brett steps down on 30 June 2018.

Dean currently heads APRA AMCOS’ Member Services division and has over 20 years’ experience with the organisation in both member services and licensing areas. He holds a Bachelor of Education in Music, a post-graduate qualification in marketing and is a graduate of the High Potentials Leadership program at Harvard University.

APRA’s Chair, Jenny Morris, said: “The APRA Board is thrilled to announce Dean’s appointment to this crucial role. Dean has for many years been a brilliant and highly respected member of APRA’s senior management team. We have no doubt that Dean will bring a fresh and innovative approach to leadership, while building on, and safeguarding, the strengths and traditions of the organisation.”

In warmly welcoming the appointment, AMCOS Chair, Ian James, said: “Among Dean’s many skills is his wonderful ability to communicate the importance of music and to advocate the case for music creators in government circles. His recent experience in that role will stand the two collecting societies in excellent stead moving forward.”

Outgoing CEO Brett Cottle noted that “the Board could not have chosen a better or more qualified leader for the organisation. Apart from being tremendously capable, hard-working and dedicated, Dean is a fantastic person. He will provide great vision and inspiration for the extremely talented workforce we have at APRA AMCOS, and most of all place the members’ needs first and foremost in all circumstances.”

For more information, see http://apraamcos.com.au/news/2017/october/apra-amcos-announces-new-chief-executive-officer/.

2017 APRA Silver Scroll Awards winners announced

The 2017 APRA Silver Scroll Awards winners have been announced at a ceremony held at Dunedin Town Hall, New Zealand.

Lorde has won the 2017 APRA Silver Scroll Award for her international hit song 'Green Light'.  The song was written by Ella Yelich O'Connor (SONGS Music Publishing / Native Tongue Music Publishing), Jack Antonoff (Sony/ATV Music Publishing), and Joel Little (EMI Music Publishing).

The award acknowledges excellence in songwriting and has been given to some of the most recognisable names and songs in New Zealand music during its 52 year history, from the Swingers’ ‘Counting The Beat’ and Bic Runga’s ‘Drive’ to Scribe and P Money’s ‘Not Many’.

Native Tongue Music Publishing composer Claire Cowan was awarded Best Original Music in A Series for ‘Hillary'.

Also on the evening, Dunedin Band The Clean were inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.

The full list of award winners is available at: http://apraamcos.co.nz/news/2017/october/2017-apra-silver-scroll-winners-announced/.

Congratulations to all winning and nominated composers, songwriters and publishers!

The Price of Piracy campaign launched

The Price of Piracy campaign mounted by Creative Content Australia (CCA) has been launched following the ruling by the Federal Court which orders Internet service providers to block websites that offer copyright-infringing content (Roadshow Films Pty Ltd & Others). Orders were also made in a separate case lodged by Foxtel in the Federal Court.

Since the first site-blocking orders were made in December 2016, the Federal Court has ordered 65 piracy sites to be blocked, and over 340 domains. The decision confirms the creative industry's contention that pirate sites infringe copyright and harm copyright holders' ability to recoup their investment in film and television content.

Creative Content Australia has developed two TV spots featuring Bryan Brown - a 30-second and a 15-second version - which will screen in most cinemas, together with a significant presence on free-to-air and subscription television and on selected websites.

The Price of Piracy website is at: https://www.thepriceofpiracy.org.au/.

2017 Art Music Awards - Winners Announced

Composers, performers and educators have been announced as winners at the 2017 Art Music Awards held in Sydney on 22 August, jointly staged by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre.  Together the winners represent the most outstanding contributions of 2016 across the genres of contemporary art music, contemporary jazz and experimental music in 11 national categories and 8 state / territory categories.  

Also at the Awards, the The Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music (as determined by the APRA Board of Writer and Publisher Directors) was presented to the legendary John Pochée OAM for his influential and visionary work as a jazz drummer and bandleader.

The list of winners is available at: http://apraamcos.com.au/news/2017/august/2017-art-music-awards-winners-announced/.

AMPAL congratulates all winners and nominees!

Australian Children's Music Foundation National Songwriting Competition Now Open!

The 2017 National Songwriting Competition entries are now open!

Every year, every student from every school across Australia is invited to put pen to paper and enter their original song for a chance to win prize-money that can be allocated towards musical equipment and tuition, as part of the ACMF’s annual National Songwriting Competition. The annual National Songwriting Competition is a nationwide initiative designed to encourage creativity and self-expression through songwriting. “Songwriting is a highly creative process. We want kids to free their imagination and engage with learning in a fun way” said Don Spencer, Founder & CEO.  

AMPAL is proud to once again be sponsoring the National Songwriting Competition.  AMPAL General Manager, Matthew O'Sullivan, remarked that "Encouraging the songwriters of tomorrow is extremely important, and AMPAL is very pleased to support the ACMF and the National Songwriting Competition, open to all school students in Australia.  We can't wait to hear the great songs that will be created."

Entries close 20 October 2017 and entry forms and other information is available at: http://acmf.com.au/national-songwriting-competition/ 

Nominations for 2017 AMPAL Board Elections Now Open

In accordance with the Australasian Music Publishers' Association Limited (AMPAL) constitution, nominations for the position of board director can be received up until 60 days prior to the date of the annual general meeting (AGM).

The date for the 2017 AMPAL AGM is Wednesday 22 November 2017. Accordingly, nominations for the position of AMPAL board director must be received by the Company Secretary by no later than 5pm AEST Friday 22 September 2017.

Details of nominees will be provided to all eligible full members prior to the AGM and in accordance with the AMPAL constitution. The constitution is available at http://www.ampal.com.au/ampal-constitution.

For a copy of the AMPAL Board Nomination Form and to discuss your eligibility for nomination, please contact the AMPAL Company Secretary and General Manager, Matthew O’Sullivan, email matthew.osullivan@ampal.com.au.