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.
If you have formed a publishing company and wish to become a publisher member, you'll need to meet the following requirements:
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:
Are you ready to become a publisher member and have all the required documents?
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.
In some countries, forming a music publishing company is necessary to collect reproduction royalties, but this isn't the case in Australia.
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 If you're a songwriter who only represents your own catalogue you should make sure you’ve joined APRA and, if you are unpublished, AMCOS as a writer member.
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. As a record label operator you might like to join the Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR). You can also find out about PPCA 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 Australia. 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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