APRA AMCOS Urges Gov’t to ‘Urgently Implement’ Live Music Tax Offset, Announces Boards

Australia’s live venues network is under serious threat and remains one of the most critical trouble spots for the music industry. The Australian government can help.

That’s the word from Dean Ormston, CEO of APRA AMCOS, who, as the organisation’s boards met for its annual meeting, ramped up calls for support from Canberra.

“We’ve seen tremendous growth this year and have been able to invest in technology and the services that matter most to our members,” explains Ormston.

“However,” he continues, “one of the major concerns that remains a big issue for our members is the ongoing challenges facing the local live music sector.”

Federal government must “urgently implement a live music tax offset to support existing and new live music venues,” he adds.

“This will ensure we have stages for artists to play on and venues for audiences to see and hear their favourite artists and stars of the future.”

While local live performance royalties continue to climb, those results are down 12.7% on 2019’s result, a pre-pandemic all-time high, according to the PROs “Year In Review,” launched during SXSW Sydney.

APRA AMCOS estimates that artists have now lost out on $600 million in live earnings since before the start of the pandemic.

As previously reported, APRA AMCOS achieved its highest group revenue to date of $740 million, up 7.2% from the previous financial year. Among the key drivers was public performance growth (up 10.5% year on year and 43.3% since 2019, lifted by OneMusic licensing) and overseas revenue, now at an all-time high of $86.1 million (up 22.5% from 2023 and a 74% gain since 2019).

Distributions came in at $634.1 million, up 6.5%, on an expense-to-revenue ratio of 14.32%.

Meanwhile, the APRA and AMCOS boards ring in the changes following elections, held during the week of the ARIA Awards.

On the APRA Board, writer director Burkhard Dallwitz was re-elected, along with publisher directors Heath Johns, Linda Bosidis and Simon Moor.

Jenny Morris was returned as APRA chair and Damian Trotter as deputy chair.

Amanda Brown stepped down from the APRA board as a writer director this year and instead successfully sought election as a director of the AMCOS board, making the Go-Betweens artist the first composer to be elected to the AMCOS board in many years.

Screen composer Caitlin Yeo was elected as the new writer director to the APRA board.

On the AMCOS Board, directors Craig Monagle, Jaime Gough, Jane English and Linda Bosidis were all re-elected. Jaime Gough was returned as AMCOS chair and Clive Hodson as deputy chair.

Meanwhile, Peter Hebbes has stepped down from the AMCOS board, following his decision to retire after a 50-year career in the music industry. Hebbes served for over three decades on the AMCOS board.

Read APRA AMCOS’s 2023-2024 Year In Review here.