If you’re a new member, you can only claim royalties for past performances of live shows or live streamed performances for up to twelve months prior to the date you joined.
An existing member can claim royalties for past performances of live shows, live streamed performances and/or performances on radio, television or a Video On Demand service, for up to three years after the performance date.
This is provided those performance occurred while you were a member (or within a 12-month period before you became a member).
If the performance was in the last 12 months, just submit your Performance Report. No additional evidence is required.
If the performance was over 12 months ago, supportive evidence is also required to be submitted. This can include ticket stubs, advertisements, flyers, screenshots from social media promoting the show, a letter signed by the venue owner/booker confirming the performances took place or posters.
Invoices are not accepted as evidence unless accompanied by other forms of evidence.
Log into the Member Portal or your App to submit your Performance Reports.
What is copyright and how does it work?
Copyright is a legal right that generally belongs to the original creator of a work.
Copyright protects literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works. It also protects sound recordings, films, published editions, performances and broadcasts. A song may have more than one copyright. The lyrics will be protected as a literary work and the music as a musical work. A recording of the song will also be separately protected as a sound recording.
Generally the composer or author of music or lyrics is the first owner of copyright in the work.
However, if you create music or lyrics as part of your employment, your employer is usually the first owner of copyright.
Similarly, if you create a work under the direction or control of a government body, the government would own copyright in the absence of an agreement to the contrary.
Copyright owners in music and lyrics have a number of exclusive rights.
Anyone who wants to use a protected work in any of the ways outlined below will usually need the copyright owner’s permission. He or she may also have to pay a royalty.
Copyright owners have the right to:
In the music industry, these rights are usually grouped in the following way:
There is a separate copyright in the sound recording of a musical work (with or without lyrics). The person or company that owns the rights in the recording owns the right to copy it, record it, perform it, communicate it to the public or rent it out.
Copyright lasts for the life of the author + 50 years
Generally copyright in music and lyrics lasts for the life of the author or creator, plus 50 years after the end of the calendar year in which the author dies.
If the work was not published, broadcast, performed or records of the work had not been offered or exposed for sale to the public until after the creator’s death, copyright will last for 50 years from the end of the calendar year of first publication, broadcast, performance or when records of the work were offered or exposed for sale to the public.
When copyright in a work expires, it is in the public domain and anyone can use it without having to obtain permission or pay a fee.
Will AMCOS collect my mechanical royalties retrospectively?
It depends on when the release was and whether there was a mechanical licence taken out by the third party administering the reproductions.
Eg: if you released a CD album last year through Universal Music, you're unpublished and weren't an AMCOS member at the time, it’s likely a mechanical licence was issued for this release. Send us an email with the details and we'll investigate for you.
If you’re not sure about your specific situation get in touch and we can advise you.
I missed out on submitting my Performance Reports for a previous year, can I still get paid for these performances?
The standard claim period for Performance Reports is limited to one year from the date of the performance. It may be extended to up to three years from the date of the performance, where additional evidence (e.g: copies of material advertising the performance, ticket, posters and letters from the venue) is provided in support of the claim.
The extended three-year retrospective claim period is not open to new members. A new member may only claim retrospective performances for the 12 months immediately preceding their date of application.
The App and Writer Portal automatically sets the performance dates you are eligible to claim.