
Collection societies, also known as collecting societies or performance
rights organisations (PROs), are organisations that manage the rights of
songwriters, composers and music publishers. They play an important role in
the music industry by collecting royalties on behalf of their members for the
public performance, broadcasting or communication of their music. These
societies then distribute these royalties to their members based on various
factors such as airplay, live performances, streaming and other forms of public
usage. While many collection societies operate as non-profit organisations,
there are also some that function as commercial enterprises.
Collection Societies in Australia
In Australia, the relevant music collection society is the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). APRA is responsible for the collection and distribution of performance royalties, while AMCOS handles mechanical rights and licensing for the reproduction and distribution of music. Both organisations operate as one entity known as APRA AMCOS, providing comprehensive services to their members.
APRA AMCOS works closely with other international collection societies through reciprocal agreements to ensure that Australian songwriters and composers receive royalties for their works when they are performed or reproduced overseas.
Some other collection societies (or similar licensing organisations) for music in Australia include:
- Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA)
- Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI)
- LicenSing
- Word of Life International.
What Types of Licence Fees Do Collection Societies Collect?
Copyright collecting societies gather two types of licence fees (royalties): statutory and voluntary.
Statutory licence fees are mandated by the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) and allow certain uses of copyrighted material without the owner’s refusal. The owner must receive royalties for the grant of the licence. These licences are limited to specific purposes like copying by libraries, educational institutions or government.
Voluntary licence fees are negotiated directly between copyright owners and users. Owners can either negotiate licences themselves or enlist a collecting society to handle negotiations on their behalf. These licences may grant broad authorisation for all uses or restrict permission to specific types of licences.
You can read more about collection societies here.