APRA AMCOS: ‘Rona in Review

Australasian music rights management organisation  APRA AMCOS’  2020-21 financial results reflect  the dichotomy of the contemporary music industry – a digital business that continues a trajectory of strong growth, despite COVID, as against live and background music which has been devastated.

The record group  revenue result of $506.9m belies the financial hardship affecting  local music creators who have lost both live performance and background music royalties due to the pandemic. 

With tens of thousands of businesses closed, or operating with strict attendance limits, for much of the reporting period, especially in hospitality, retail, and fitness, licence fees have been decimated. Despite now collecting for PPCA under OneMusic Australia, licence fees across Australia and New Zealand for public performance were two-thirds of pre-pandemic figures. Concerts and events in Australia/New Zealand generated $5.1m in 2020-21, down from $19.6m the previous year, and just 20.5% of the $24.9m total in 2018-19, devastating the ability of APRA AMCOS’ touring and gigging members to earn a living.

OneMusic Australia continued to provide much-needed licence fee relief where businesses including fitness, hospitality, airlines and cinemas were forced to close in line with public health measures.

At the same time, audiences’ appetite for audio and streaming video-on-demand (SVOD), showed digital revenue to be pandemic proof. Combined digital income from local sources, international collections and through the organisation’s multi-territorial licensing hub accounted for more than half of APRA AMCOS group revenue.

In 2020-21, $442.6m royalties were payable to songwriters, publishers, affiliated societies and rights holders (net distributable revenue), up 8.7%. Of that, 47,597 APRA members earned royalties in Australia; and 19,880 APRA members earned overseas royalties.

Income from international sources totalling $60.2m surpassed last year’s record-setting figure of $54.4m, an increase of 10.7%. A great result considering the impact of the pandemic, and initial projections of substantial revenue decline around the world.

The songs connecting with global audiences included Tones And I’s ‘Dance Monkey’ and ‘Never Seen the Rain’, and favourites like ‘Riptide’, ‘Royals’, ‘Thunderstruck’, and ‘Cheap Thrills’; as well as the scores for Border Security (Neil Sutherland), A Place to Call Home (Michael Yezerski)and The Brokenwood Mysteries (Joel Haines).

Closer to home, the top 50 Australian songs streamed in Australia are topped by Joel Corry’s ‘Head & Heart’, with UK-based Aussie John Courtidis a co-writer. Other notables include The Kid LAROI’s ‘Without You’ and ‘So Done’, the latter co-written with Sydney songwriter/producer Khaled Rohaim; Tones And I’s ‘Dance Monkey’, and Masked Wolf’s’Astronaut in the Ocean’, co-written by Michael Harry and Tyron Hapi.