Nat Dunn is the first member of APRA AMCOS’ 1,000,000,000 List
It’s official: Nat Dunn is a member of the billionaire club.
The Australian songwriter, producer and artist this week chalked up the first spot on APRA AMCOS’ The 1,000,000,000 List, which is awarded to the society’s members who have accumulated more than one billion streams for a song.
Dunn, who hails from Cairns, reached the ridiculous milestone for her co-writing work on Marshmello & Anne-Marie’s hit ‘Friends,’ which was the No. 2 song played on U.S. radio and went to No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Released in February 2018 by the helmet-headed American EDM star Marshmello and British singer Anne-Marie, the single also notched-up triple platinum status in Australia and Canada, and is certified platinum in eight countries including the U.S., U.K., Germany and France.
Marshmello & Anne-Marie’s ‘Friends’
According to APRA AMCOS, its new 1,000,000,000 List counts streaming data from all major services including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Vevo, Amazon and Google Play.
It’s said to be the first award of its kind to fete a songwriter’s achievement, and it comes at a time when digital platforms are surging. Thanks to those platforms and others, APRA AMCOS’ digital-related income for 2017-18 came to $420 million, nearly a third of all revenue.
“Being the first songwriter honoured with a place on The 1,000,000,000 List is a reflection of the influence and creative power that songwriters bring to a new music model focused on streaming,” Dunn says in a statement.
Streaming “truly is the future,” she adds. “I’m hopeful that the royalty distribution to songwriters will reflect the drastic changes in the music landscape. I’m looking at it as a positive time for songwriters, I choose to be excited.”
Dunn, who is published through Young & Vicious via a joint venture with Mushroom Music Publishing and is an ambassador for the PRO, received her trophy from APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormston.
Nat Dunn and Dean Ormston
Dunn is “at the forefront of a global songwriting movement,” enthuses Ormston, “and we couldn’t be more proud of all her success as an expert collaborator and acclaimed artist. Friends is just the first of what I anticipate will be many more of Nat’s songs on the list, and in the coming weeks, she will be in excellent company with a number of APRA AMCOS members who will be welcomed to The 1,000,000,000 List.”
The hitmaker is on her way. He latest credits include the theme from the Pokémon Detective Pikachu movie, ‘Carry On,’ performed by Rita Ora and Kygo and co-written with fellow Aussie Ilan Kidron; and ‘Nowhere To Go,’ the Hayden James collaboration with NAATIONS, Dunn’s electronic duo with Nicky Night Time.
Rita Ora and Kygo’s ‘Carry On’
In other news, Dunn is this week curating a three-day intensive songwriting camp at Sydney’s Studios 301 with artists including Peking Duk, Illy, Mallrat, Odette, and Nicky Night Time. The camp is a partnership with Mushroom Music Publishing, Young & Vicious and APRA AMCOS’ SongHubs initiative.
This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.