Music Users

Licensing

Do you need a licence?

If you're using recorded music or music videos to enhance your business in any way, then you'll usually need a licence - permission from the copyright holder- to do so. 

Examples of such uses include:

  • Playing protected recorded music in public
  • screening music videos in public
  • playing protected recorded music and/or radio to your phone customers on hold
  • broadcasting recorded music over the radio or TV
  • broadcasting music videos on TV

Are there any recordings for which I don't need a licence?

Licences are required wherever the playing of recordings in a business is protected by the Copyright Act. These are often referred to as 'protected recordings'. There are some recordings released in Australia that are not protected, and for which you do not need a licence. However, working out whether or not a recording can be played in public without a licence requires the application of complex provisions of the Copyright Act, which involve considering:

i. the country where the recording was made;
ii. the nationality and residence of everyone performing on the recording (including all session musicians);
iii. the country where the recording was first released;
iv. the date and place of first release of the recording; and
v. the age of the recording.

As a general statement, recordings made in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, the UK, all European countries and Canada are usually protected under the Copyright Act and a public performance licence will be required if you want to play them in your business. Recordings made in the US may also require a licence, depending on the details of the recording and the application of the international copyright laws. All music videos are protected and, when they are used as music on hold, all sound recordings are protected.

The benefit of a PPCA blanket licence is that it allows your business to play all of its recorded music regardless of whether or not you can determine if it is protected. A PPCA licence eliminates the risk of copyright infringement in relation to the vast catalogues of recordings covered by such a licence.

For more information on whether or not a recording is a protected recording for which a licence will be needed, see the more detailed information under " What does the PPCA blanket licence cover?"

 

What we do

We grant licences for the broadcast, communication or public playing of recorded music (e.g. CDs, tapes, records) or music videos. We then distribute the licence fees we collect to the copyright holders (licensors)and Australian recording artists registered with us, under our  Distribution Policy.

It's important to remember that if you need a licence of the type available from us, you'll probably need a licence from APRA (Australasian Performing Right Association Ltd) as well. That's because there are at least two copyrights in most recordings and music videos:

  1. the copyright in the song (lyrics, composition etc.) - licences available from APRA ;
  2. the copyright in the recording and/or music video of the song (a particular recorded performance) - blanket licences available from us, or individual licenses from each of the relevant copyright holders.

By collecting licence fees and passing them on to the people who provide the music in our lives, we're not only protecting their rights , we're making sure that they can continue to make music for us all to enjoy.

And don't forget, licence fees are usually tax deductible

(you'll need to talk to your tax adviser).

Do I have to get my sound recording licence from PPCA, or are licences available from anyone else?

PPCA is not the only organisation from which you can obtain the required licences.  If you prefer, you can approach each copyright holder (usually the record company) individually to get a licence for the recordings and music videos that they control. However, we're the only organisation in Australia that can offer you a 'blanket' licence that covers just about all recordings commercially released in Australia .

If you're from a TV or radio station , go to Broadcast Licensing.

If you're playing recordings or music videos in public, or playing music to phone customers on hold, go to Business Licensing.

* Click here for important information about our licences.

Read more about our latest Tariff categories.

For more information:

•  Policies
•  Licensing FAQ

•  "Need more info about licensing?"