Under the New Zealand Copyright Act, songwriters, composers and music publishers have a number of rights that allow them to control how and when their music is used and to negotiate payment for this use. These include:
- the right to perform music in public, (e.g. by playing a CD, radio, TV or by a live performance);
- the right to communicate music to the public, (e.g. a radio or television broadcast, via a music on hold system or to make available for download); and
- the right to reproduce music, (e.g. on a CD or in a television programme)
APRA and AMCOS exist, in part, because it is difficult or impossible to obtain permission from every copyright owner prior to performing, communicating or reproducing their music, APRA was established to provide a link between music users and creators. Our role is to administer the rights of APRA’s and AMCOS’s members (i.e. nearly all Australian and New Zealand music publishers, songwriters and composers). Through reciprocal arrangements with similar organisations around the world, APRA|AMCOS also represents more than two million music copyright owners across the globe.
If you perform, communicate music to the public or reproduce music, you need to obtain the relevant licence(s) from the copyright owner. In the vast majority of cases, APRA|AMCOS are the relevant right owners and is able to grant you the necessary licence.
You may require more than one licence– for example, if you run a dance school and distribute CDs of songs to pupils so that they may practice at home – you will require both an APRA performance licence and an AMCOS reproduction licence as APRA|AMCOS owns or controls the relevant rights. Failure to obtain the necessary licences may amount to an infringement of copyright.
More information?
First read our Copyright FAQ - for Music Consumers - and if your question isn't answered please contact us.