Music Industry Organisations

Australia boasts many fine music organisations that represent musicians and commercial industry interests all over the country. Occasionally the Australian Music Association is confused for one of these other organisations and we need to point people in the right direction. The following list includes everything from very large industry bodies to state and territory based branches of small professional associations.

This page includes information and links for AAM, ABODA, ACETA, AFA, AGSC, ALMBC, AIR, AMA, AMC, AMCOS, AMEB, AMIN, AMPAL, AMRA, AMTA, ANATS, ANCA, ANCOS, APRA, APTTA, ARIA, ASA, ASME, AUSTA, CMAA, FAA, KMEIA, LPA, MEAA, MRA, MTA, NATSIMO, NBCA, PPCA, and more.

Collecting Societies | Industry Initiatives |Industry Associations | Registered Organisations | Professional Associations | Government | Other Associations | Community Music Associations | Peak Bodies | Charities


Collecting Societies


APRA AMCOS (Australasian Performing Right Association / Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners’ Society
APRA collects and distributes licence fees for the public performance and communication of its members’ musical works. AMCOS collects and distributes mechanical royalties for the reproduction of its members’ musical works.

APRA & AMCOS are separate companies with separate board but effectively operate as one entity, with shared management.

Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA)
PPCA is a non-profit organisation that provides licences to Australian businesses to play recorded music in public. The net fees are distributed to record labels & registered Australian artists who create the recordings.

PPCA operates as a standalone company with its own board but is managed alongside ARIA with shared management.

One Music

One Music is a single license for APRA and PPCA, which administer two rights that were previously licensed separately.

Your business, organisation or group may need a licence to play music. OneMusic makes getting a music licence simple. You don’t need a licence to play music at home, but when you play music to the public outside the home, you must first get permission. OneMusic collects music licence fees on behalf of music creators (members and licensors).


Industry Initiatives


Live Music Office

The Live Music Office works to increase opportunities for live music in Australia by identifying and advocating for better policy, regulation and strategy. Its work is government funded but operates independently, auspiced by APRA AMCOS.

Music Rights Australia

Music Rights Australia represents over 100,000 songwriters and music publishers through their association the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners’ Society (AMCOS), and more than 125 record labels – both independent and major – through the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). It works to prevent and address piracy and support copyright protections for music.

National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Music Office (NATSIMO)

The NATSIMO is an Indigenous-led initiative of APRA AMCOS and peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music creators. It supports the growth and development of songwriters and composers and advocates for a thriving, self-determined Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music industry.

Sounds Australia

The fundamental purpose of Sounds Australia is to provide a centralised, whole-of-industry service to activate the world’s best networking, performance and business-matching opportunities for export-ready Australian artists and music businesses at international showcase events.  Sounds Australia is government funded but operates independently, auspiced by APRA AMCOS.


Industry Associations


Australian Commercial & Entertainment Technologies Association (ACETA)

ACETA is a not for profit, non government association that works to provide a collective voice for members, lobby government, attain strength by association and provide a reference point for the dissemination of information for commercial & entertainment techologies.

Association of Independent Record Labels Inc (AIR)
AIR is a non profit, non government association dedicated to supporting the growth and development of Australia’s independent recording sector. AIR represents Australian owned record labels and independent artists based in Australia.

Australian Live Music Business Council (ALMBC)

ALMBC is a national music industry association led by Australian business owners to benefit the long-term sustainability and value of Australian contemporary music.

Australian Festival Association (AFA)

The AFA’s aims are to make festivals safer for patrons and reduce friction between festival promoters and regulatory bodies, by aligning evidence-based practices and decades of combined industry experience with the requirements of government policy.

Its members are large and small festivals across Australia, including but not limited to music festivals.

Australian Music Association (AMA) 

That’s us! The Australian Music Association (AMA) represents and furthers the interests of the Music Products industry which is a network of wholesalers, manufacturers, retailers and associated services for musical instruments, print music,  consumer pro audio & lighting and music technology.

Australian Music Publishers Association (AMPAL)
The Australasian Music Publishers Association (AMPAL) works on behalf of its members to promote a better understanding of the value of music, both culturally and economically investing in songwriters across all genres of music.

Australian Music Retailers Association (AMRA)
Representing the interests of the retailers of recorded music. No website last time we checked, see LinkedIn or AMRA’s campaign, Record Store Day Australia.

Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA)
ARIA acts as an advocate for the recording industry, both domestically and internationally. ARIA Also stages the highly prestigious annual ARIA Music Awards. www.aria.com.au

Live Performance Australia – see below


Collecting Societies | Industry Initiatives |Industry Associations | Registered Organisations | Professional Associations | Government | Other Associations | Community Music Associations | Peak Bodies | Charities


Registered Organisations


Live Performance Australia (LPA)

LPA is the peak body for Australia’s live performance industry, its role is to protect and promote the interests of members which include producers, orchestras, opera and ballet companies and other arts organisations, festivals, and so on.

LPA and MEAA a registered organisations under the Fair Work (Registered Organisation) Act 2009, which allows them to negotiate industrial agreements on behalf of our Members.

Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA)

The union representing musicians, as well as actors, dancers, various entertainment workers and journalists, is the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance. Musicians are one of the four sections of the union, and the section has two main cohorts: Symphony Orchestra Musicians Association (SOMA) representing orchestral musicians mostly in the state orchestras, and Musicians Australia representing freelance musicians.


Professional Associations


Association of Artist Managers (AAM)

The Association of Artist Managers unites the Australian music industry’s managers providing a peak body that develops, protects and promotes the reputation and interests of music managers, and their artists.

Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC)

​The AGSC is dedicated to supporting all established and emerging screen composers in Australia, helping them to navigate the ever-changing challenges of scoring for film, television, games and other media.

Australian Music Centre has composers as members but operates more as a service organisation than professional association. See below.

Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA)

AMTA is the professional association for Registered Music Therapists

Australasian Piano Tuners & Technicians Association (APTTA)

The APTTA’s overarching goal is to raise standards of piano tuning and service for the benefit and enjoyment of pianists and all those who enjoy piano music. Its members are piano technicians and it has branches in NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA and New Zealand.

Australian Songwriters Association (ASA)
National, non-profit, member organisation dedicated to the support of songwriters and their art.

Fellowship of Australian Composers
The Fellowship of Australian Composers is the representative voice of serious composers throughout Australia. The Fellowship supports composers in such practical ways as copyright, commissioning fees, contracts, quotas of Australian music on the radio, lobbying and promotion of members works.

Music Education Professional Associations (State + National)

Primarily Representing National NSW VIC QLD SA WA TAS NT ACT
Australian Society for Music Education (ASME) Classroom music teachers ASME ASME NSW ASME VIC ASME QLD ASME SA ASME WA ASME TAS ASME NT ASME ACT
Australian Band and Orchestra Directors Association

(ABODA)

School, community and professional conductors ABODA National ABODA NSW ABODA VIC/TAS ABODA QLD ABODA SA ABODA WA ABODA VIC/TAS
Music Teachers Associations (MTA) Instrumental/studio music tutors. nb, MTAs are in many states but do not have a federal structure. N/A MTA NSW VMTA QMTA MTASA WA MTA TMTA
Australian String Teachers Association (AUSTA) String Teachers AUSTA National AUSTA NSW AUSTA VIC AUSTA QLD AUSTA SA AUSTA WA AUSTA TAS AUSTA SA AUSTA ACT
Australian National Association of Teachers of Singing (ANATS) Singing Teachers ANATS National ANATS NSW ANATS VIC ANATS QLD ANATS SA/NT ANATS WA ANATS TAS ANATS SA/NT ANATS ACT
KMEIA (Kodaly Australia) Kodaly Practitioners KMEIA / all branches NSW Branch Vic Branch Qld Branch SA Branch WA Branch ACT Branch
Australian National Council of Orff Schulwerk (ANCOS) Orff Schulwerk Practitioners ANCOS Orff NSW VOSA QOSA OSASA WAOSA TOSA
Other AMUSE ACTKA

Collecting Societies | Industry Initiatives |Industry Associations | Registered Organisations | Professional Associations | Government | Other Associations | Community Music Associations | Peak Bodies | Charities


Government


Creative Australia
Creative Australia, previously known as the Australia Council for the Arts, is the principal arts funding and advisory body. It incorporates the conventional arts funding sections (including Music), the Centre for Creative Workplaces, Creative Partnerships Australia, and Music Australia.

Office for the Arts

Besides the Australia Council, many of the functions of arts policy and funding are managed throught the Federal Minister’s Department, which frequently changes name as the public service is restructed around Ministerial responsibilities.

All states and territories also have a department responsible for arts policy & funding.


Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB)
The AMEB exists to provide a graded system of examinations in music, speech and drama, by offering high quality syllabuses, educative services to our teachers, examiners and candidates, and quality publications to the highest editorial standard.

The AMEB occupies a unique position, owned by a collection of government (education) departments and public institutions (universities) but not a government agency per se. 


Other Associations, Service Organisations (with membership)


Australian Music Centre (AMC)

The AMC is the national service organisation dedicated to the promoton and support of art music in Australia.

Country Music Association of Australia (CMAA)
Country Music Australia (CMAA) recognises and promotes excellence in Australian Country Music. Formed in 1992 Country Music Australia represents all aspects of the Australian country music industry.

Folk Alliance Australia (FAA)
Folk Alliance Australia aims to encourage the understanding of folklore as the cultural bond that holds individuals, groups and communities together and provides their cultural identity.

Symphony Services Australia / International 

Symphony Services Australia, also trading as Symphony Services International, holds the southern hemisphere’s largest classical print music library, offers over 3,500 program notes, and takes the headache out of tour management for visiting international artists. It is a service organisation for its members, being the major state symphony orchestras and other professional orchestras.


Community Music Associations

Australian National Choral Association (ANCA)

ANCA represents choirs across Australia, primarily but not exclusively community based choirs. was established in 1990 from the merger of two associations, the Australian Choral Association (ACA) and the Australian Choral Conductors Association (ACCA). It is a national organisation with chapters in NSW/ACT, QLD/NT, SA, VIC/TAS, & WA. 

National Band Council of Australia (NBCA)

National Band Council of Australia Inc is the National organisation representing the Brass and Concert Bands of Australia, dedicated to the promotion, fellowship, and development of banding throughout Australia. Its members are the band associations in NSW, QLD, VIC, SA, TAS & WA.

Pipe Bands Australia

Pipe Bands Australia is the governing body for all pipe band contest and related matters such as registration and grading throughout Australia. Prior to a change of name the association was known as the Australian Pipe Band Association Inc. (APBA). Its members are the pipe band associations in NSW, QLD, VIC, SA, TAS & WA.

Sweet Adelines Australia

Sweet Adelines Australia is the Australian region of Sweet Adelines International. With more than 1200 singers, 33 choruses and more than 30 registered quartets in Australia

Australian Ukulele Teachers and Leaders Association 

The aim of AUTLA is to provide support for ukulele teachers, leaders and students through regular workshops both live and online. They provide teaching resources and networking opportunities across the country.


Peak Bodies


Australian Copyright Council
The Australian Copyright Council is an independent, non-profit organisation representing the peak bodies for professional artists and content creators working in Australia’s creative industries and major copyright collecting societies. Its members include APRA AMCOS, ARIA, AMPAL, AMC, AGSC, and MEAA.

Australian Music Industry Network (AMIN)
A network supporting the state based music organisations that support the contemporary music industry in Australia. AMIN members have a range of membership models, some with membership structures involving individuals and organisations, others do not have a substantial public membership program but have volunteer committee members as members. AMIN’s members are Q Music, Music NSW, Music Victoria, Music SA, Music NT, WAM, Music Tasmania, Music ACT.

Music Australia / Music Council of Australia

In 1994 Dr Richard Letts founded the Music Council of Australia, a national 50 member peak body for the music sector in Australia. It was structured around a Council, with councillors representing both industry bodies, many of them permanent members and listed on this page, and individuals that could represent a particular aspect of musical life. The AMA maintained a presence and active involvement as a permanent Councillor for many years. The MCA was a partner with the AMA, notably through the 2000s and 2010s in Music Play For Life, Music Count Us In and other initiatives.

In 2014 the MCA rebranded as “Music Australia”, continuing with the same structure. The organisation evolved over time in its membership and programs.

Music Australia has ceased to operate, the company still exists to maintain its charitable status for another purpose as agreed by the board. The name has been adopted by the government agency, Creative Australia, as its contemporary music development program. 

MCA was Australia’s representative to the International Music Council.

Several of the community music associations and music education professional associations are also peak bodies made up of state associations/chapters


Charities


Green Music Australia

Green Music Australia is a registered charity, harnessing the cultural power of our influential music scene to create a greener, safer future.

Music For All

Music For All (Australia) is a not-for-profit charitable organisation, operated by Soundhouse Music Alliance, a deductible gift recipient (DGR) status charity, which has operated over a 30-year period. Its aim has always been to encourage and support Australians to become creators and makers of music with the goal of having them experience the life-changing benefits that active music-making can bring.

Listen Up Music

Award winning mental health music charity, Listen Up Music, believes in change. Not merely “awareness raising” but constructive, impactful and life-altering change. Through its music-focused events and education, Listen Up Music’s vision is to empower every music industry professional to develop and maintain positive mental health.

Support Act

Support Act is the music industry’s charity, delivering crisis relief services to musicians, managers, crew and music workers across all genres who are unable to work due to ill health, injury, a mental health problem or some other crisis.

Collecting Societies | Industry Initiatives |Industry Associations | Registered Organisations | Professional Associations | Government | Other Associations | Community Music Associations | Peak Bodies | Charities