New Zealand music biz is fighting for copyright review

The New Zealand recorded music industry has put forward its case for why the government’s review of current copyright law is essential for it to grow.

It is an industry which directly contributes over NZ$550 million (A$507.15 million) to GDP per year and employs 2,000 people.

Peak music association Recorded Music New Zealand issued a paper called Music Doesn’t Just Happen.

It outlines the vital role robust copyright policies play for a sustainable future for NZ talent, along with what key issues that an update of the Copyright Act 1994 needs to address.

Recorded Music New Zealand CEO Damian Vaughan, explaining the title of the paper, says, “The music industry has been a leader in the digital environment, investing in new business models and driving innovation.

“But music doesn’t just happen – there is a huge investment of time, money and human resources behind the scenes.

“For this investment to continue it is essential that New Zealand has the right copyright framework.”

It singled out for key issues to be addressed:

• Ensure fair market conditions for negotiations with digital platforms.
• Provide for effective enforcement of copyright online.
• Harmonise New Zealand’s copyright term with that of other OECD countries.
• Give recording artists and record companies a fair go on copyright exceptions.

The government is expected to release an issues paper on the Copyright Act review for consultation by end of the year.

In June 2017, the minister of commerce and consumer affairs launched the review “to ensure that our copyright regime is fit for purpose in the context of a rapidly changing technological environment which is impacting the way we create, distribute and consume content.

“Insights into this environment were highlighted in the Government’s Study of the role of copyright and designs in the creative sector, completed in December 2016.”