The two main music collection societies in New Zealand have come together to create a single public performance licence.
APRA, which collects on behalf of publishers and songwriters, and PPNZ, which collects on behalf of record labels and performers, have amalgamated their licensing services – meaning licencees will no longer have to pay two organisations for the right to use a piece of music in the territory.
The new joint licence will administered by APRA under the brand OneMusic. A OneMusic website offers any potential licensee a one-click solution to purchase all the permissions they need.
PPNZ Chief Executive, Damian Vaughan, said OneMusic is a step further than simply processing two licence fees through one administrative body, but is a new joint offering that replaces the old licences offered by APRA and PPNZ.
“Our customers were telling us that the international norm, which is a two-licence model, was frustrating and confusing,” commented Vaughan.
“APRA and PPNZ exist to represent different rights holders, so we have always operated independently and have calculated fees in different ways. Too many customers were not even aware they needed both licences. So now we’re dealing with the complexities behind the scenes. That’s our job.”
Director of New Zealand Operations for APRA, Anthony Healey (pictured), says the new OneMusic licence has given the organisations the opportunity to take a fresh look at how music is licensed and they’re excited about the efficiencies for both organisations and for their customers.
“We need to focus on simplicity in everything that we do for our customers. Only then can we honestly say that we are doing the best for our members. The idea of dual performance rights is complex for the music industry itself let alone the general public that just want to get access to music legally.” said Healey.
“By APRA and PPNZ coming together our customers will now be going to one place, www.onemusicnz.com, to calculate and pay a single fee without having to deal with overly complex paperwork. We’ve built the licence scheme from the bottom up after extensive consultation with our customers on what works best for them.”
CEO of the New Zealand Retailers Association, John Albertson, said OneMusic means fewer businesses will be accidentally operating outside of the law.
“Not everyone has known they needed two music licences and indeed sometimes it seemed over the top to be charged twice to play music. We’ve had a look at how much our members will be paying now based on the OneMusic calculations and it seems reasonable,” he says.
Healey added: “Here in New Zealand there has been an enormous amount of faith from both sides shown in the development of this new licensing operation. We are really excited about what it will mean for both our customers and members alike.”Music Business Worldwide
