Music in Schools

Schools Music Licence

We all appreciate the integral part Music plays in school activities. From fundraising events to concerts and public music festivals; from photocopying expensive sheet music to the use of music in student audio and video recordings; from presenting power point presentations to making music available on the schools digital content management system. The Schools Music Licence enables schools to do all these things and more.

The APRA/PPNZ Schools Music licence is administered by NZSTA (New Zealand School Trustees Association). To apply for a licence, email Maura Marron or call her on 0800 663 486.

To download the schools copyright brochure click here.

The APRA/PPNZ Schools Music Licence covers:  

  • Public Performance including Concerts and performances at schools by the pupils, Concerts by school groups at any multi-school festivals or in public, performances by visiting musicians, fundraising events, socials, discos school balls, student broadcasting - Low power radio broadcasts. The licence also covers performances in a dramatic context (where music is added to the dramatic show) in primary schools. It does not cover any grand right musicals or the use of music in a dramatic context by a secondary school where the show is run for profit and advertised in the public media.
     
  • Photocopying sheet music - There is limited ability for teachers or students to copy printed music under the education exceptions to the NZ Copyright Act– 3% or 3 pages (whichever is the greater). It does not allow for multiple copying of entire works. Teachers need to either purchase additional copies, contact the publishers for permission to copy them, or take out the School's Music Licence. The licence allows you to make up to 30 copies of a print musical work for every original owned. In the case of choral works, the licence allows you to make up to five copies for every original owned.
     
  • Making audio or video recordings - The licence allows the making of audio and/or video recordings of musical works and sound recordings for the educational purposes of the school and to supply to their students or their families for their private domestic use, provided the recording is intended to be played at a school event, of a school event or for analysis by students as part of a school course. Schools may sell such recordings to students or families for their private domestic use.
     
  • Digital - create and make available digital music files on the schools internal content management system, create power point or other resources using music for educational purposes and make available digitally, stream recorded events from the school’s website.

To know whether your school needs a music licence consider if:

  • music is performed in public or broadcast at your school or by your students
  • CDs, iPods etc are played outside the course of instruction i.e. at school socials or dances
  • students take part in music festivals
  • sheet music is photocopied for a choir or orchestra
  • DVDs or CDs are being made of a school event or production
  • music is communicated on the school intranet

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then your school does require a music licence.

How much does the licence cost?

The combined comprehensive licence is $1.40 per student with a 5% discount for NZSTA members +GST

How do the royalties get distributed?

Each year we survey 60 schools. The data collected together with other distribution information is used to distribute royalties collected from schools in New Zealand to the correct copyright holders.

The collecting societies: APRA|AMCOS and PPNZ


Australasian Performing Right Association Limited (APRA) was established in 1926 and administers the performing and communication rights of 70,000+ composer, songwriter and music publisher members in Australia and New Zealand. Public performances of music include music used in bars, cafes, fitness centres, shops, cinemas, festivals, whether performed live, on CDs or played on the radio or television. Communication of music covers music used for music on hold, music accessed over the internet or used by television or radio broadcasters.

Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society Limited (AMCOS) collects and distributes mechanical royalties for the reproduction of its 10,000+ members’ musical works for many different purposes. These include the manufacture of CDs, music videos and DVDs, digital downloads and the sale of mobile phone ringtones, the use of production music and the making of radio and television programmes. Since 1997, APRA has managed the day-to-day operations of the AMCOS business.

Phonographic Performances NZ (PPNZ) administers the rights of local and international record labels and recording artists within the NZ territory. Any playing or exhibition of a sound recording requires the permission from the sound recording owner. PPNZ grants licenses for the broadcast and public performance of recordings and distributes licence fees to record labels and NZ recording artists.
www.ppnz.co.nz

To take out an APRA/PPNZ licence for your school, please contact the NZSTA.

If you have questions directly related to the APRA/PPNZ licence (inclusions / exclusion etc) please contact APRA directly:

Rowena Sinclair, Client Services Representative: 
(09) 623 4712
 

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