Both APRA and AMCOS Board positions announced
Strong annual growth continues across organisation, but crisis of local live music scene still a major issue
APRA AMCOS has announced the results for both the APRA and AMCOS Board elections following the Annual General Meetings (AGMs) this week.
On the APRA Board, writer director Burkhard Dallwitz was re-elected to the Board, along with publisher directors Heath Johns, Linda Bosidis and Simon Moor. Jenny Morris MNZM OAM was returned as APRA Chair and Damian Trotter as Deputy Chair.
Amanda Brown stepped down from the APRA Board as a writer director this year and instead successfully sought election to the AMCOS Board. Brown is the first composer to be elected to the AMCOS Board in many years. Screen composer Caitlin Yeo was elected as the new writer director to the APRA Board.
On the AMCOS Board, directors Craig Monagle, Jaime Gough, Jane English and Linda Bosidis were all re-elected to the Board. Jaime Gough was returned as AMCOS Chair and Clive Hodson as Deputy Chair.
Peter Hebbes AM stepped down from the AMCOS Board this year, following his announcement of retirement from the industry after 50 illustrious years in the music industry and having served for over three decades on the AMCOS Board.
APRA and AMCOS Board directors are elected by their respective memberships through a secure ballot. The process and results of the elections are audited and verified by APRA AMCOS’s independent auditors, KPMG.
Bic Runga remains the APRA New Zealand Writer Representative - there was no election for this position this year.
The AGMs this week reflected on a year of very strong growth for the organisation, following the launch of its annual Year In Review report last month.
The report revealed its highest group revenue to date of $740 million, up 7.2% from the previous financial year (FY) with a public performance growth of 43.3% since 2019, driven by OneMusic licensing. Overseas, international revenue was at an all-time high of $86.1 million, up 22.5% from FY23 and a huge 74% since FY19.
Despite this success, Australia’s local live music scene continues to remain under serious threat. Local live performance royalties, while increasing, are still down 12.7% on FY19’s all-time high and APRA AMCOS estimates that artists have now lost out on a staggering $600m in live earnings since before the start of the pandemic (FY19).
Dean Ormston, CEO of APRA AMCOS, explains: “We’ve seen tremendous growth this year and have been able to invest in technology and the services that matter most to our members. However, one of the major concerns that remains a big issue for our members is the ongoing challenges facing the local live music sector.
“We’re renewing our call on the Australian Government to urgently implement a live music tax offset to support existing and new live music venues. This will ensure we have stages for artists to play on and venues for audiences to see and hear their favourite artists and stars of the future.”
SEE A FULL BREAKDOWN OF THE ELECTION RESULTS HERE