Transparency of royalty payments and more direct licensing options needed for APRA members

A summary of the Australian Digital Alliance and Australian Libraries and Archives Copyright Coalition submission about Australasian Performing Right Association re-authorisation

Greater transparency around royalty payments from collecting societies is needed and Creative Commons licences should be compatible with APRA licensing models.

I recently authored a submission on behalf ofthe Australian Digital Alliance (ADA) and the Australian Libraries and Archives Copyright Coalition (ALACC) to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in response to an application by Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) to re-authorise the organisations arrangements for managing music performing rights in its repertoire. Applications for authorisation by the ACCC arise where an applicant seeks approval to engage in conduct that may otherwise breach Australian competition law.

APRA’s application orientates around how they administer the public performance and communication rights of their members. APRA becomes the copyright owner of those rights because members assign them to the organisation as part of their membership application. (Although, arguably, many members of APRA are not aware they are no longer the owner of the public performance and communication rights in their music.)…