FEAR AT THE TOP: Dean Ormston talks APRA’s big ambition, board authority, Brett Cottle’s legacy & more
Fear At The Top co-hosts Luke Girgis and Poppy Reid chat to APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormston following the music industry’s most debilitating year in recent memory.
As the head of Australia’s performing rights organisation, Ormston has weathered the effects of COVID-19 and last summer’s bushfire season alongside the rest of the music industry. He’s repeatedly knocked on the doors of parliament house, collectively advocated for the gig economy alongside other music industry bodies, and pushed for a more global approach for governmental support.
Having been in the role for three years now, and following over 20 years’ experience with the organisation in both member services and licensing areas, Ormston is now facing the collecting society’s biggest battle.
The conversation on Fear At The Top covers Ormston’s KPIs, the board’s authority, governmental lobbying, his big ambition for Australia, how APRA AMCOS makes its money, his predecessor Brett Cottle’s legacy, and much more.
“It’s about dealing with government in a way that it understands, and it understands industry, and it’s incumbent on us to say ‘here’s the aspects of our industry you need to understand’,” Ormston said.
“My personal view has been, you don’t go to government and whinge. You go to government, you explain the problem, and you have the solution and you make it as simple as possible,” he added.