December 2006 - Issue No. 37
MARK EADES' UPDATE

by Mark Eades
Manager Publisher Services, APRA
As 2006 draws to a close I would like to wish all of our publisher members a happy Christmas and festive season and a prosperous New Year. Please note that APRA|AMCOS offices will be closed for business from 25 December 2006 to 1 January 2007, re-opening on 2 January 2007. Publishers whose APRA representatives will be taking additional leave in early 2007 will be notified by your rep, and you may contact Tim Batson or Sandra Diaz with any urgent queries you may have in your rep’s absence. Please refer to the updated Publisher Member Contact Guide for contact details.

I thank both publisher members and APRA|AMCOS staff for their patience and assistance during my first year as Publisher Services Manager, and look forward to working with you all again in 2007.
COPYRIGHT AMENDMENT ACT 2006
The Federal Government has now passed the Copyright Amendment Bill 2006 and the majority of the changes will come into effect from 1 January 2007. As the representative of over 45,000 Australasian songwriters, composers and music publishers, and over 2 million original music creators worldwide, APRA|AMCOS is extremely disappointed with the passing of the Bill in its current form. Specifically, we object to ... Read more
CODE OF CONDUCT REVIEW
The report of the 2006 review of Copyright Collection Societies' compliance with the Code of Conduct is now available. The Reviewer, Mr J Burchett QC, cites APRA|AMCOS as having "made great gains in the reduction of complaints over the period." Mr Burchett goes on to say that what is significant is not only the number of complaints but the nature of the complaint and how they were handled. Read more
AUSTRALIAN ORIGINAL MUSIC EARNINGS: steady and on track
The 2005-06 financial year has seen a 2.9 per cent growth in revenue for APRA. Excluding management fees, revenue totaled $127.2 million for the year. AMCOS revenue increased 8.8 per cent to $41 million; bringing the consolidated APRA|AMCOS revenue to an all-time high of $168.2 million.

APRA|AMCOS' final figure for net distributable accorded almost exactly with budget forecasts, owing to solid growth in some licensing areas and continued restraint in expenditure. APRA was able to distribute $110.3 million throughout the year, thanks to the lowest ever expense to revenue ratio (12.8 per cent of gross revenue), while AMCOS distributed $35 million, an increase of 25 per cent. Read more

AMPAL: Nick Hampton reviews 2006
At the end of 2006, the outlook for music publishers and the composers they represent is a positive one. There have been vast changes in the way in which music is being consumed, and publishers and their composers have been doing well in this landscape. AMPAL members, who represent the economic weight of the publishing industry, have collected nearly $200 million in gross royalties over the last year, which is a healthy figure. Read more
REGULAR FEATURES
Welcome to the following new publisher members
- CD Music (Classical Destinations Pty Ltd) (APRA)
- Mike Perjanik Productions Pty Ltd (AMCOS)

Recent Board Decisions
Read a summary of recent decisions made at the APRA & AMCOS Annual General Meetings; the November APRA and AMCOS Board Meetings; and the 2006 AMCOS Board Conference.

News from around the world
Read the latest headlines from BIEM-CISAC including:
- Publishers prepare for MIDEM
- Universal to sue MySpace
- Zune launches with closed digital music system
- Canadian ringtone rates may set precedent

Antenna is published by APRA|AMCOS.
Telephone: (02) 9935 7900. Fax (02) 9935 7999. 
Email apra@apra.com.au. Web: www.apra.com.au
Editor: Anthea Sarris. Any comments? Please email Anthea.
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