APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormston: Why the European vote is a win for music creators worldwide

As TMN reported yesterday, the global music industry was in celebration mode after the European Parliament voted to update copyright laws to fit in with the digital age.

The debate still rages – and will no doubt continue to do so in coming years – as to whether this constitutes an economic win for creators or if it will inhibit the growth of creativity and, as one digital executive expressed, destroy the entire digital economy.

As far as the entertainment industry is concerned, the win is not just confined to Europe.

Here, APRA AMCOS’ Sydney-based chief executive Dean Ormston explains why:

“APRA AMCOS applauds the European parliament’s historic vote overnight for a new Copyright Directive as a major win for music creators and innovation in the cultural industries.

“The European vote is a win not just for music creators, but for any creator who entertains, educates and develops the stories and sounds that are so important to the lives of anyone who values culture,

“APRA AMCOS, which sits on the board of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), represents 100,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers across Australia and New Zealand that includes the very best and brightest of established and emerging musical talent at home and around the globe.

“The European Parliament voted to pass the much-debated Article 13 Copyright Directive for the Digital Single Market by 438 votes to 226 with 39 abstaining.

“Both creators and technology platforms have been lobbying key members of the European Parliament over recent months around the vote.

“This vote shows it is becoming clear to legislators around the world that music and the cultural sector deserve a digital world that is fair and fosters cultural innovation.

“Just this year, the Australian Government refused the technology sector’s request to expand Australia’s copyright safe harbour in a way that would have protected online services, such as social media platforms and online marketplaces, who derive a commercial benefit from their use of music and other creative content.

“The Australian government and the European Parliament have both rightly decided that commercial online services that feature music need a licence, not a copyright safe harbour.

“Similarly, New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has also established an ambition for New Zealand to become a net exporter of music as it reviews copyright and quotas for local music on broadcast and streaming platforms.

“APRA AMCOS continues to work closely with the Australian and New Zealand Governments to ensure the modernisation of the copyright framework that has supported hundreds of thousands of creators, will foster the next generation of music creators so we can continue to build the music powerhouses of the future.”