Our licences help music creators get paid for their work and provide a straightforward way to legally play and copy our music. Royalties keep the music coming and ensure the industry’s future.
From competitions and industry grants & funding, to SoundCheck Aotearoa, our Music Sponsorship Programme, and industry research, we're committed to support and contribute to the music industry on every level.
APRA AMCOS operates within a framework of regulations, processes and policies that keep us accountable to our members, licensees, various government agencies, and the general public.
Browse our vast FAQs, send us your feedback, view our International Affiliates Hub, or connect with the right person via our contact us form.
Looking for a particular song or work? Search the APRA AMCOS registered song and work catalogue.
TIP: Read the summary on ‘How to search for a song or work’ before searching.
What does APRA AMCOS do?
APRA AMCOS grants licences for the live performance, broadcast, communication, public playing or reproduction of its members’ musical works. APRA AMCOS then distributes the licence fees to its 119,000+ songwriter, composer and music publisher members and affiliated societies worldwide.
APRA AMCOS is the trading name of Australasian Performing Right Association Limited (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS).
Does APRA AMCOS offer any awards, grants or competitions?
APRA AMCOS is committed to supporting and celebrating the artistic excellence and commercial success of songwriters and composers across all genres.
There are several programs, grants, awards, competitions to help you build a thriving career in the music industry.
Where does the money from licences go?
For every dollar we collect, about 85 cents goes straight back to songwriters, composers and publishers as royalties. The remainder is used to administer these royalties.
As a music rights management organisation, after costs are covered the rest of the money is distributed (paid) to music creators. Our expense-to-revenue ratio compares very favourably to affiliated organisations providing the same service overseas.
Who runs APRA AMCOS?
APRA AMCOS isn't a government body. We're a music rights management organisation run by an executive management team in liaison with a non-executive board of directors. Individual writer members and representatives of publisher members are elected to the board by their respective memberships for renewable three-year terms.