AMPAL elects Board of Directors & presents Publishing award

The Australasian Music Publishers’ Association Limited (AMPAL) has elected its Board of Directors at a recent annual general meeting.

Heath Johns, Managing Director of BMG Australia, has become the newest AMPAL board member.

Returning to the board alongside Johns is Marianna Annas from ABC Music Publishing, Philip Burn from Hal Leonard Australia, Peter Hebbes from Hebbes Music Group and Steve McPherson, CEO of Hillsong Music Publishing.

After serving as a director on the board since 2010, David Albert, former CEO of J. Albert & Son Pty Ltd (Alberts), announced his departure from the position. Returning as Chair and Deputy Chair respectively is Matthew Capper (Warner/Chappell Music Australia and Clive Hodson (Perfect Pitch Publishing).

The main topics of discussion at the meeting centered around current copyright issues facing music publishers. In particular, the issue of the Australian Government rejecting changes to the rights’ framework, which will detract from a music creator’s right to be remunerated fairly for their creative endeavours.

Furthermore, the first AMPAL Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music Publishing was presented by Capper and AMPAL’s General Manager, Matthew O’Sullivan, to 131-year-old Australian music publishing and recording company Alberts.

The award was received by Mr Albert and former CEO Fifa Riccobono at the annual general meeting. Working on behalf of its songwriter and composer partners, Alberts has made significant contributions to the Australian and New Zealand music publishing industry for over a century.

“As a founding member of AMPAL in 1956, there is no more deserving recipient of this award than Alberts,” said O’Sullivan in recognition of Alberts’ extraordinary achievements as a music publisher. “Alberts has launched the careers of some of Australia’s most loved songwriters and composers.”

Left to right: David Albert,Alberts, Fifa Riccobono, Alberts, and Matthew O’Sullivan, AMPAL

BMG and the Albert family reached an agreement in July that saw the historic publishing company, J Albert & Son Pty Ltd, become a part of BMG, a subsidiary of international media company Bertelsmann.