APRA AMCOS have released their Year In Review, unveiling their figures for the 2013/14 financial period, confirming they distributed $252.8 million to its members and affiliates in the last financial year. This is up substantially from last year’s total of $243.5 million, with $27.1 million coming from foreign revenue.
APRA AMCOS is the organisation responsible for collecting licensing royalties on behalf of its members, which includes songwriters, composers, and music publishers.
“APRA AMCOS, from a musician’s point of view, is an administrative body that makes sure that artist rights are protected and your royalties are collected… they make sure you get paid for the work you perform and the work you compose,” explains songwriter James Blundell in a company video.
The figures detailed in their Year In Review show APRA distributed $190.4 million to its affiliates and members, up 7.3 percent on the previous fiscal year’s $177.4 million, while AMCOS distributed $65.8 million, which is up 1.1 percent on the previous fiscal year’s $65.1 million.
The royalties were paid by the organisation to 205,343 songwriters, composers, and music publishers around the world who represent 783,070 unique songs and musical compositions. Other key highlights of this year’s report include the fact that 35,464 of the organisation’s 87,000 members received payments during the 2013/14 fiscal year, with over 124,000 businesses across Australia and New Zealand now licensed to use music.
[include_post id=”358959″]
Perhaps most interestingly, the report shows a 24 percent increase in foreign revenue, marking the most successful year for Australia and New Zealand music’s international appeal.
This significant increase has been propelled by the success of artists like Lorde and her producer Joel Little, as well as homegrown heroes like Vance Joy, 5 Seconds of Summer, Courtney Barnett, and Sia, who’ve all enjoyed recent chart success overseas.
“The great news is that Australian and New Zealand music is enjoying more success internationally than it ever has – a great testament to the talent and resilience of our songwriters and their business partners,” said APRA AMCOS CEO Brett Cottle.
International revenue, which comes from organisations such as ASCAP and BMI in the US, GEMA in Germany, and PRS in the UK, is up to $27.9 million from the previous fiscal year’s $22.3 million.
The report also confirms what’s become conventional wisdom in the music industry today, indicating a steady increase in royalties from public performance and communication during the last fiscal period, as recording royalties and revenue from digital sources like downloads and streaming remain stagnant at $43 million.
[include_post id=”421323″]
Though as Billboard recently reported, income from live performance varies depending on the size of the act, with arena headliners able to take in “$300,000 to $400,000 on a $700,000 to $800,000 gross”, while smaller “opening bands” can often lose money as a result of production costs and prohibitive label deals.
This, said Cottle, was an indicator of “the dichotomy underpinning the current state of the music industry: royalties from public performance and communication were continuing to grow, while recording royalties – based on the concept of reproduction and ownership of content – were for the most part either static or in decline.”
Recently, Tone Deaf reported on the cannibalising effect of music streaming on digital sales in markets like the US, and it appears things are no different Down Under.
According to the report, AMCOS’ gross revenue declined by $1.25 million, or 1.7 percent, to $69 million, largely due to a 37 percent decline in physical product revenue to $6.6 million and an 11 percent decline in digital download sales, which now account for $23.6 million of gross revenue.
