APRA AMCOS to pay members live performance royalties for cancelled gigs

APRA AMCOS has announced that it will pay $1.5m in live performance royalties to members for gigs, concerts and festival appearances that were cancelled due to impact of the latest wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The initiative will provide direct financial support to music creators who lost royalties from performances that were scheduled to take place in Australia and New Zealand from 1 October 2021 to 28 February 2022. It follows a similar initiative in 2020 when APRA AMCOS brought forward performance report payments from November to May.

“Just as it felt like things were starting to open up and live music was ready to kick off a successful summer season, the latest COVID-19 wave once again cancelled live events causing substantial financial loss and emotional strain to our members and the broader industry,” said APRA Chair Jenny Morris.

“The APRA Board has approved this initiative so that swift action can be taken to support our members and pay them for the royalties they would have made from the live performances of their songs.

“When a gig is cancelled, many are affected financially, professionally and personally. But there is an intangible cost as well when our artists are unable to bring communities together, connect with their fans and when they miss out on the career development that literally can only happen on stage.”

We acknowledge the targeted support from the New Zealand government for venues and music businesses that had planned concerts and festivals but often direct support for those that write the music falls through the cracks.

This initiative is only a small step and the impact of the current setting under the COVID Protection Framework hits APRA members incomes hard. APRA AMCOS continues its call on government to provide ongoing support to those impacted directly by the current pandemic response.

“APRA AMCOS is putting royalties into the pockets of our members for the performances they intended to play. They planned, prepared and practiced and through no fault of their own, once again they lost work and income,” said APRA AMCOS Chief Executive Dean Ormston.

“We call on government leaders to provide direct support to the artists, sole traders and small to medium businesses through a wage subsidy program, crisis support, micro-business grants and a national insurance scheme.”

APRA AMCOS members can submit claims for cancelled performances via the website. The cutoff to submit is 28 February 2022 with payments to be distributed in March. For members who did perform live during the period, the live performance royalty will be fast-tracked for payment in March.