APRA AMCOS joins Association for Electronic Music

Here comes the drop: APRA AMCOS has linked up with the Association for Electronic Music (AFEM) as an affiliate member for the very time, a partnership which should carve out a new revenue stream for homegrown electronic music producers.

Established in 2014, AFEM has found its groove as the global voice for the electronic and dance music sector, counting some 175 company members across 25 markets.

After months of behind-the-scenes work, APRA AMCOS is one of the first music rights management organisations to step into AFEM’s membership.

Like other trade associations, AFEM provides lobbying muscle, educational activities and business support to its members, who typically gather each year for the major global dance music summits, including Amsterdam Dance Event and Miami Winter Music Conference.

And then there’s the difficult business of extracting money from spins.

Members of APRA AMCOS should now also benefit from AFEM’s work on its “Get Played Get Paid” initaitve which, as its title suggests, is committed to spinning royalties from DJ sets back into the accounts of creators.

Using music recognition technology provided by AFEM members and rolled out into venues and festivals in more than 15 countries, the “pay per play” initiatve is trying to move a tidy sum worth $160 million of royalty distributions.

Dance and electronic music is no longer a niche. It’s pumping right now. And EDM, in particular, has exploded into a global, mainstream phenomenon over the past decade.

APRA AMCOS represents more than 20,000 electronic and dance music creators, including Flume, Empire of the Sun, PNAU, Alison Wonderland and Rüfüs Du Sol, all of whom have led the charge.

The Australian societies “stand out as a pioneering Collective Management Organisation (CMO) who committed to using music recognition technology at DJ events to ensure accurate royalty payments to creators and rightsholders, well before AFEM even launched the ‘Get Played Get Paid’ campaign in 2014,” comments Greg Marshall, general manager AFEM in a statement.

“It is with great pleasure that we can announce APRA AMCOS’ affiliate membership of AFEM, and the associated commitment to continued dialogue and development of policies which seek to best serve the electronic music ecosystem.”

Dean Ormston, APRA AMCOS CEO added: “APRA AMCOS is proud to be one of the first music rights management organisations to partner with the Association of Electronic Music as an affiliate member. Having already established music recognition technology in the electronic music sphere to accurately pay our songwriters, composers and right holders when their music is played, we’re looking forward to working with AFEM to further these efforts in the future.”

AFEM was presented at the Midem trade fair in January 2013 as a not-for-profit trade body representing the common interests of global companies and individuals working in electronic music.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.