Music royalties explained
How APRA AMCOS royalties work
APRA AMCOS is a music rights management organisation and it’s our job to license music, collect fees and pay royalties to members.
APRA AMCOS licenses the use of songs and compositions, collect fees from music users — from major streaming services to local cafés— and pays any royalties earned to our members and international affiliates.
When our member’s music is used outside of Australia and New Zealand, we collect royalties through reciprocal arrangements with similar music rights management organisations in other territories. When royalties are payable for our members’ music overseas, APRA AMCOS receives that money from our international partners and then we distribute it through to APRA and AMCOS members.
It starts with the song
To be eligible to earn royalties, you need to register your songs or compositions – also referred to as a ‘musical work’ – and provide these key details:
- Song/work title
- Performer name
- Duration
- ISRC (International Standard Recording Code)
- Co-writers’ names and role
- Agreed songwriting splits
You can register your works in the Writer Portal or with the APRA AMCOS for Music Creators app (available for free from the App Store or Google Play).
If you are signed to a music publisher, notify them and they will register the works on your behalf.
When we get music usage reports from licensees (like a music streaming service or a broadcaster) or from a member doing Performance Reports or submitting jingle audio, the song registration makes it possible to process and pay accordingly.
When are royalties paid?
APRA domestic royalties are paid quarterly, with domestic major events distributed monthly.
AMCOS processes domestic royalties quarterly. All amounts over $10 are paid within 60 days of the end of each calendar quarter, usually just before the 60th day.
Both APRA and AMCOS pay international royalties monthly.
Q: Where do song royalties come from?
The short answer: music licences
Almost all businesses and organisations use music. Think of a local café, hairdressers, gyms, nightclubs, festivals, radio stations, television ads, streaming services, Video on Demand services and YouTube videos.
APRA AMCOS and OneMusic grants these businesses and organisations licences to publicly perform and copy our members’ and affiliated rightsholders’ music. To help us distribute those royalties as accurately and effectively as possible, we collect music usage reports from a number of different sources, including:
- licensees (e.g. broadcasters, streaming music and video services)
- music recognition technology (like Audoo)
- international affiliates.
APRA AMCOS ingests usage data and where we can match that usage to the works in our repertoire database pays out royalties from the licence fees we (and our international partners) collect to our members – songwriters, composers, music publishers - and to partner organisations and other rightsholders.
Get an ABN for your royalty payments
As soon as you become an APRA or AMCOS member, make sure you tell us your Australian Business Number (ABN). If you don’t have an ABN, get one! We can only accept Individual/Sole Trader ABNs.
If you don’t have an ABN and you earn more than $500 in APRA royalties or $75 in AMCOS royalties, we have to deduct withholding tax from your royalties at the highest marginal rate for personal income tax.
It is your responsibility to update any changes to your ABN.
This only applies to Australian tax residents. If that’s you, apply for an ABN through the Australian Business Register.
Accessing royalty statements and insights
Any royalties earned are paid directly into your nominated bank account. APRA and AMCOS royalty statements can be accessed by logging in to the Portal or the apAPRA AMCOS for Music Creators appp. Details about how your works earn are available via the Earnings Insights section of the Portal, as are financial documents including Payment Summaries.
Frequently asked questions
Can I earn royalties from airplay on online radio and digital radio stations?
Yes. The majority of Australian and New Zealand online and digital radio stations are simulcasts of their analogue versions, and this additional use is licensed under their standard APRA AMCOS agreements.
Can I earn royalties from digital downloads and streamed music?
Yes. Remember to register your works.
Digital royalties are paid out in our quarterly distributions. Writer members do not need to do any reporting, just register your works! However, adding ISRCs to your work registrations does assist us greatly.
We have licence agreements in place with most legal digital service providers (eg: Spotify, Apple Music). Traditionally, we would expect royalties to be paid out 6 months after streaming or download in Australia or New Zealand - depending on the reporting and processing lead times. Overseas royalties do take longer, as they must first be processed by our international affiliate societies. This can take 12-24 months, depending on the territory.
Can I earn royalties if my music is used on YouTube?
Yes. Our licence agreement with YouTube covers the streaming of all music videos including music embedded in User Generated Content (UGC).
You may find that your works have been being synchronised as part of other users’ uploaded content to YouTube. It is important to understand that the synchronisation rights of a work are owned by the original copyright owner/music publisher. Therefore, a work cannot be used without gaining permission from the copyright holder (that means you or your publisher!).
If you discover that your musical work has been used without your consent, there are two options available:
- Contact the user who has used your work and license them directly.
- Contact us and we will endeavour to have the video taken down from YouTube on your behalf.
Please note, if you want to upload cover versions of songs to a User Generated Content site (UGC) where a visual element is present (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok etc), you may need to clear the synchronisation rights with the music publishers/original copyright owners.
What is an ISRC and where can I get one?
The International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) is how your sound recordings and music video recordings are recognised wherever and whenever they're played. Adding your ISRCs to your work's registration details makes it easier for us to get you royalties quickly and accurately. However, an ISRC is not a compulsory requirement for an APRA work registration.
APRA AMCOS does not issue ISRCs, ARIA does. To find out more or apply for an ISRC, please email [email protected] or visit the ARIA website.
We're here to help
We've got specialised departments to look after our members, licence enquiries, international affiliates, and more. Get in touch or send us a message using our department direct form.
