APRA AMCOS paid $250M to songwriters and publishers

APRA AMCOS has released its annual Year in Review for the 2013/14 financial period with figures showing it distributed $252.8 million to its members and affiliates.

The royalties were paid by the music rights association to 205,343 songwriters, composers and music publishers around the world for 783,070 unique songs and musical compositions. 35,464 of its 87,000 members received payments.

The report also shows an increase of 24% in foreign revenue to $27.1 million; the biggest mark of Australian and New Zealand music’s international appeal and success than ever before. In the last financial year Lorde and her producer Joel Little, Vance Joy, 5 Seconds of Summer, Courtney Barnett and Sia have had international chart success with their original single and album works.

Interestingly, royalties from public performance and communication experienced a steady increase in the last fiscal year, while recording royalties and revenue from digital sources like downloads and streaming remained static at $43 million.

According to APRA AMCOS CEO Brett Cottle, the static figure showed, “the dichotomy underpinning the current state of the music industry: royalties from public performance and communication were continuing to grow, while recording royalties – based on the concept of reproduction and ownership of content – were for the most part either static or in decline.”

APRA reported the revenue from “new media” or “digital” sources reflects the negative impact of unlicensed content in Australia. AMCOS’ gross revenue declined by $1.25 million or 1.7% to $69 million. With streaming slowing eclipsing physical income, AMCOS’ physical product revenue declined by 37% to $6.6 million while revenue from digital downloads declined by 11% to $23,6 million, accounting for the 1.7% annual loss.