If your Adelaide Fringe event contains music (including recorded and live music), you will need to obtain a licence from OneMusic Australia to ensure you have the correct permissions to use the music in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth).
Adelaide Fringe Festival does not have a central licensing arrangement with OneMusic Australia (APRA AMCOS and PPCA) to cover the music you plan to use in your show. Therefore, as a presenter, if you use music, you are individually responsible for ensuring you have licences in place prior to the commencement of your show.
Your licence will cover the public performance copyright of the various parties that created and own the music. In this way you do not have to contact the individual owners of each piece of music you wish to use in your show.
Table of Contents
- What is OneMusic Australia?
- Adelaide Fringe Festival Music Licensing
- How to Obtain a Licence
- Further Information
What is OneMusic Australia?
OneMusic Australia is an APRA AMCOS and PPCA joint initiative that aims to simplify the process of acquiring public performance music licences. Whenever music is performed to a non-domestic audience (via any medium) it constitutes a ‘Public Performance’ under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), which requires certain permissions. Additionally, the creators and publishers of that music (composers; lyricists; publishers for APRA AMCOS) and those who have a stake in the recorded music (for PPCA) are entitled to royalties, regardless of any appearance fee paid to them.
OneMusic Australia facilitates these permissions in the form of licences and has an exclusive right to administer them.
Adelaide Fringe Festival Music Licensing
Music is frequently used in Fringe Festival shows as:
curtain music; walk-on/walk-off music; scene change music; music before, after or at interval; within the show as background or incidental music of any duration; live music performance.
Please note that performances of music in a Dramatic Context require a seperate licence and additional time is needed to clear the music rights for these shows. Dramatic Context means only the performance of musical works:
(a) in conjunction with a presentation on the live stage that has:
(i) a storyline; and
(ii) one or more narrators or characters; or
(b) as a Ballet.
Importantly, under the terms of an APRA Dramatic Context licence, some songs you wish to include in your show may not be available for use, or clearances may need to be obtained direct from a music publisher or a record label. Please apply 6 weeks before your first performance to allow time for the approvals process.
How to Obtain a Licence
If you are utilising music, please complete the details on this online form as a matter of priority to ensure sure you secure the right licence cover.
Any questions, please contact the OneMusic Events Team via events@onemusic.com.au or by calling 1300 162 162 and selecting Option 2 followed by Option 1.
Further Information
OneMusic Australia Events Licensing Guide
APRA AMCOS Music In A Dramatic Context Licence Guide
All information used in this post is a guide only. Artists and Venues should contact OneMusic directly for further advice and clarification. All information was obtained from www.onemusic.com.au and was correct at the time of writing.
Image credit: Velvet Rewired | Photo by: Rebekah Ryan, Adelaide Fringe 2020
Image description: An artist wearing sunglasses and a suit plays a conga drum on a raised dias lit by pink lights