Join as a publisher

Publishers require in-depth industry knowledge and experience. Find out what a publisher does, and the criteria to apply for membership.

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Managing your music publisher rights

Your work in ensuring songwriters and composers get paid when their work is used commercially is vital to the music industry. We can help you by ensuring royalties are paid efficiently and accurately. With Earnings Insights you can see how your catalogue earns royalties at a glance.

We advocate strongly on behalf of our music publisher members to uphold music's value.

Find out more reasons to join

What you need before you apply as a music publisher member

If you have formed a music publishing company and wish to become a full publisher member, you'll need to meet the following requirements:

You are a bona fide music publishing business in Australia, New Zealand and/or a South Pacific Nation. A “bona fide music publishing business” means a business that:
- has ownership of, is assigned or licensed from a composer or an author the copyright in a minimum of one musical (or musical and literary) work (“musical work”) which has been reproduced and commercially released or exploited or published in some other form;
- carries out as some of its day-to-day activities:
  - administration of copyright in the musical works it owns or controls (including but not limited to the registration of the copyright details with APRA and/or AMCOS and accounting and payment of royalties and fees to the relevant composers and/or authors);
  - management of the various rights in the musical works it owns and/or controls including but not limited to reproduction, and performing rights; and
  - licensing the use of the musical works it owns and/or controls to third parties;
  and
- has engaged the services of a person who is actively involved in managing the business’ ongoing day-to-day music publishing activities in Australia, New Zealand and/or a South Pacific Nation.
You have a signed music publishing agreement with a minimum of one composer and/or author who is a member of APRA.
Your signed music publishing agreement includes a clause recognising the prior and/or subsequent assignment of performing rights by the composer and/or author to APRA.
You have a local bank account located in Australia, New Zealand or a South Pacific Nation.
You have a Certificate of Registration of a Business Name or Company Number from ASIC or the NZ Companies Office, which must match the company or business name on your application.

If you do not meet these eligibility requirements but you control the reproduction rights in certain musical works in Australia, New Zealand and/or a South Pacific Nation, you may still be eligible to join as an associate publisher member.

Register your music publishing agreements

Once you're a member, you are required to register all the agreements you have with your writers. You'll also be expected to register each one of your writers’ works that you control, on an ongoing basis. Your agreements must outline:

The term of your agreement (start/end dates)
Your entitlement, if any, to the collection of royalties prior to start date
The territories covered under your agreement
Whether you are to cover the general catalogue or specific works (you must provide the list of specific works)
The writer/publisher split (for performing rights your publishing company cannot claim greater than 50%)
What rights are covered under your agreement, for example:
- Performing—public performance/communication of a song through live performance, broadcast on radio, TV, download, streamed
- Mechanical—song reproduced in physical/digital form via CD, vinyl, download, streamed
- Synchronisation—song used in conjunction with moving picture/film
- Print—song printed into sheet music

Are you ready to become a publisher member and have all the required documents?

Join today

What happens next?

Once you successfully complete the initial assessment, you'll receive application forms for publisher membership via email. Once you have returned the completed, signed and witnessed application forms, they will be submitted to the APRA AMCOS Board for review. The Board meet approximately every 2 months.

When the APRA & AMCOS Board are satisfied that you meet the basic criteria, you can be elected as a publisher member.

Songwriter & composer membership

In some countries, forming a music publishing company is necessary to collect reproduction royalties, but this isn't the case in New Zealand.

You only need to become a music publisher member if you represent other writers’ catalogues. If you're a songwriter who only represents your own catalogue you should make sure you’ve joined APRA and, if you are unpublished, AMCOS as a writer member.

Join as a writer

Frequently asked questions

I am operating a record label, do I need to apply for publisher membership?

APRA and AMCOS publisher membership is not open to record labels, so your business needs to also be operating as a music publisher in order to be eligible for membership. If not already, you may like the business to join Independent Music NZ and you should also visit the Recorded Music NZ website to see if you are eligible to become a member.

I just joined as an APRA AMCOS writer member, do I need to join as a publisher member as well?

In most cases, no. You should only join as a publisher member if you are intending to administer, promote and commercially exploit the work of other writers. Music publishers require in-depth industry knowledge and experience, as well as legal contracts in place with songwriters. Find out more about what a publisher does.

I was told overseas that I need to form a publishing company to collect my mechanical royalties. Is this true?

While in some countries forming a publishing company is necessary to collect your mechanical royalties, this is not required in New Zealand. If you represent your own catalogue, then you can market, promote and exploit it without needing to form a publishing company.

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