Domestic royalties
What does ‘domestic royalties’ mean?
By ‘domestic royalties’ we refer to distribution practices and rules covering the use of your musical works (songs and compositions) in Australia and New Zealand where we have licensed and have collected fees for that use from a service, business or person.
This includes, for example, public performances of musical works in places physically located in Australia or New Zealand (e.g. a high street shop in New Zealand or at an Australian concert) as well as the communication and reproduction of musical works by international online services (e.g. Spotify or Netflix) for the consumption of those services’ content in Australia and New Zealand.
When do I get paid royalties for the use of my musical works?
Other than for promoted concerts or festivals, which we pay each month, APRA and AMCOS pay royalties we collect from domestic usage every three months in each February, May, August and November.
We make separate APRA and AMCOS royalty payments.
Why does payment take time?
From the date your music is used, it typically takes around 4–6 months for royalties to be processed and paid. For promoted concerts or festivals it is generally 1-2 months after the concert (or final date in a tour), subject to payment being received from the promoter.
This is because we:
- receive music usage information from many licensees on a quarterly basis (e.g. broadcasters and streaming services);
- have to match that usage to musical works (songs and compositions) registered in our system and sometimes need conduct further research regarding ownership shares; and
- have to process and allocate royalties accurately to thousands and thousands of rightsholders.
APRA Writer Member royalties calendar
| February | Live Performance, Radio, TV, Nightclubs, Streaming Services, Digital Downloads and Other Royalties Sources* |
| May | Live Performance, Radio, TV, Nightclubs, Streaming Services, Digital Downloads, NZ Cinema and Other Royalties Sources* |
| August | Live Performance, Education, Radio, TV, Nightclubs, Streaming Services, Digital Downloads and Other Royalties Sources* |
| November | Live Performance, Government, Childcare, Defence, Radio, TV, Nightclubs, Streaming Services, Digital Downloads, NZ Cinema and Other Royalties Sources* |
| Each month | Promoted concerts/festivals |
*Other Royalties Sources: Airlines, Background Music, Churches, Hotels, Clubs, Dance Schools, AU Cinema, Fitness, Video On Demand, Music on Hold, Websites and Other Online Platforms (YouTube, Meta etc.)
AMCOS Member royalties
| March | Musical works reproduction royalties |
| June | Musical works reproduction royalties |
| September | Musical works reproduction royalties |
| December | Musical works reproduction royalties |
| Annually | Print music royalties |
* All amounts over $10 are paid within 60 days of the end of each calendar quarter, usually just before the 60th day
Playing live? Submit Live Performance Reports
Live Performance Reports tells us when and where your music was played at a club or pub or similar venue in Australia or New Zealand, so we can pay you royalties for those live performances.
Subject to any accuracy checks we may undertake, valid Performance Report payments are paid at a small (a matter of a couple of dollars or so) flat rate per work and per performance, regardless of where the performance occurred.
It's easy to submit your Performance reports on-the-go through the Writer Portal or APRA AMCOS for Music Creators app (from the App Store or Google Play).
Pictured: PEP TALK photo by Darcy Goss