Music rights management bodies PPCA and APRA AMCOS have this month launched a single-licence online portal – OneMusic Australia. Blending the rights in the song, the recording and the music video, OneMusic will serve up a ready-to-apply product that salon owners have been asking for, for many decades.
No longer will salons have to grapple with two separate organisations licensing the music they have playing in their salons, a scenario that has been around for many decades.
Why do I need a licence?
Any salon in Australia who has music playing anywhere (even on their phone lines) would need permission for that. That permission is in the form of music licences, just as you would need a liquor licence from a state liquor licensing body you need a music licence from a licensing body.
Because musicians started writing songs as sheet music to be played live, often on a piano (the lyrics, notes, melody) well before any songs were recorded on vinyl, two member organisations started up at different times. One for the songwriter, composer group (APRA AMCOS) in the 1920s and one for the recording artist and record labels (PPCA) in the 1960s. After decades of issuing licensing separately, we have formed a joint initiative OneMusic Australia to simplify the process.
What happens next?
Salons who have been good music citizens and secured a licence from one or both organisations will need to switch over to OneMusic a month before their current agreement lapses, a process that will be rolled out over 12 months.
For unlicensed salons with little knowledge of music licensing they should look forward to a phone call or a letter from OneMusic’s customer service team to make sure a licence is in place. This ensures a level playing field for commercial music users, all taking part equally in the stimulation of the music economy.
Licensing transactions can also take place online, with admin access available for book keepers and salon managers. Live chat, phone and personal support will also be available to assist salons in getting to know the new system and what music use applies to their venue.
This licence scheme has been created in full consultation with industry and also applies to hair salons, fashion retailers, newsagents, homewares stores, physiotherapists, in fact the whole retail sector.
The user-pays offering provides seven options to add to a ‘shopping cart’ of music licence cover. Retailers can opt for cover if they have background music, featured music, music videos, website music, music in their car parks, workplace music or telephone on hold music.
A retail business of less than 51 square metres of ‘customer space’ (not including back rooms) with just a radio or television on need only budget for $85 a year for music licence fees.
For the increasing majority of retailer and service providers using a personal streaming service to play music in-store or on the premises there is an easy, bundled Gold package that not only covers this digital copy/delivery music use (see note at end) which requires a licence but also permits an unlimited number of devices playing music – from a commercial background music supplier, Video On Demand, TV, radio, CD or vinyl records. This allows a medium retailer to create different ‘music zones’ and obtain maximum value from their licence.
How does my licence fee get to the musicians?
