CeLeBRATING 25 YEARS Of THe APRA MUSIC AWARDS

apRap 

Newsletter of the Australasian Performing Right Association www.apra.com.au JULY 2007 

RIP: Billy Thorpe 

& Lobby Loyde 

Celebrating 25 years 

of the APRA MUSIC AWARDS 

Sick Puppies GOING GLOBAL 

FAN-BASE: 

build it and they will come 

> Kev Carmody, Missy Higgins, Paul Kelly. 

Photo > Tony Mott

Anthea Sarris 

Brett Cottle 

Photo > Jan Kuczerawy 


editor’s wrap 

In an eclectic fusion of tuxedos, sequins and sneakers; the seasoned campaigners 

and the young guns of Australian music gathered for the 25th Annual APRA Music 

Awards at the Melbourne Town Hall in June. The night was a celebration of the 

outstanding achievements of our songwriters over the past year and a moving tribute 

to a quarter of a century of great Australian music. Master of ceremonies, Jonathan 

Biggins, delivers his ‘view from the stage’ on page 8 along with a full list of winners 

and a photo gallery from the night. 

In this issue of Aprap, we turn the spotlight on building a fan-base and the influence 

of technology. we’ve spoken to the experts – songwriters, managers, booking agents 

and venue managers – and they all agree: a decent fan-base can be your launch pad 

to success. Check out their views on building a fan-base and the pros and cons of 

technologies like MySpace and youTube on pages 11-13. 

Social networking sites are the focus of frank Rodi’s article on the licensing and 

copyright challenges associated with online, user generated content (uGC) on 

page 14. APRA|AMCOS’ Online & Mobile Licensing Manager presents an insightful 

overview of the brave new world of uGC where the balance is shifting from 

broadcasters to creators. 

Also in this issue, we bid farewell to two Australian rock legends: Billy Thorpe 

and Lobby Loyde (p.15); we catch up with PdA winners damian Crosbie (p.3) and 

John Chong-Nee (p.21); map the course of Sick Puppies’ global journey (p. 6); and 

much, much more. enjoy! 

Anthea Sarris 

to the point 

during the last week in May some 600 delegates from around the world 

gathered in Brussels to discuss and debate the role of copyright in the digital age. 

The occasion was the triennial CISAC Copyright Summit. CISAC is the international 

confederation of authors’ and composers’ societies. 

Speakers from academia, record companies, publishing companies, digital service 

providers, telcos, collecting societies and government joined authors, composers, 

artists and film directors to try to find common ground - if not solutions - to some 

of the challenges and problems that confront us in the internet age. while the news 

from the record industry was generally negative – the industry is significantly down 

around the world – many of the protagonists found positives in the new environment. 

Billy Bragg spoke of the flourishing live scene in the uK; Glenn Ballard spoke of how 

technology has revolutionised his creative life. 

One key area of discussion involved the so-called 

creative commons movement which encourages 

authors to make their work available on the web 

for “transformative” or “non-commercial” use, 

for free, by anybody. we oppose the movement 

as misconceived and involving serious practical 

risks for authors, but the debate is healthy, and 

some useful ideas (hopefully entailing the creative 

commons movement expressly recognising the 

role that collecting societies play for authors) 

were explored. 

At the General Assembly following the Summit, 

APRA was re-elected to the CISAC Board. 

Crucially, for the increasing imperative that 

creators assert themselves and their rights in a 

high profile way, Robin Gibb was elected President 

of CISAC for the next three years and Mexican 

film director, Alfonso Cuaron (Harry Potter and the 

Prisoner of Azkaban) was elected Vice-President. 

Their voices will be of immense significance to 

us in the years ahead. 

Brett Cottle 

CeO APRA|AMCOS 

> CISAC director General eric Baptiste, CISAC President Robin Gibb, 

CISAC Chair of Board directors Brett Cottle and CISAC Vice President 

Alfonso Cuaron. Brussels 1 June 2007. © GVw/CISAC2007 

What is it you most value about music? 

freedom of expression, and being able to tell a story. 

What are you currently working on? 

Our debut album, titled Reflections. 

What are you listening to? 

Rick Ross’s Port of Miami; T.I’s King and young Jeezy’s 

The Inspiration album. 

What is your favourite film that is about music 

or is it a musical? 

Tupac’s Resurrection, oh and our soon to be released 

documentary about S.H.A.d.O.w.S by renowned film 

director, Shalom Almond! 

What is your favourite book/website about music? 

we mainly read hip hop magazines, such as The Source, 

Vibe magazine and Adelaide street press. 

What is the best live performance you’ve ever been to, 

whether you were performing or not? 

u2 were amazing when we saw them in december 2006, 

but Scribe puts on some awesome shows. 

What is the quickest piece you have written and which 

piece took the longest to write? 

Hmm, ‘destiny’ took the longest, that’s from our debut e.P, 

but the quickest, and also from that e.P was ‘Give a little’. 

Who have been your greatest musical influences? 

well there are three really: The warumpi Band, Bob Marley, 

and N.w.A 

PDA POSTCARDS: DAMIAN CROSBIE 

MUSIC BUSINESS BY THE BOOK 

CODE OF CONDUCT 

KEEP AN EYE ON… PBS 106.7 FM 

SERVICES FOR UNPUBLISHED WRITERS 

GOING GLOBAL: SICK PUPPIES 

2007 APRA MUSIC AWARDS 

THE VIEW FROM THE STAGE 

INTERNATIONAL NOTES 

MEMBER NEWS 

FANBASE: IF YOU BUILD IT 

THEY WILL COME 

WHAT’S MY SCENE? 

USER GENERATED CONTENT 

CALL FOR BOARD NOMINATIONS 

THINK GREEN: E-VOTING 

REST IN PEACE: BILLY THORPE AND 

LOBBY LOYDE 

SCREENRAP 

4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 23 

Photo > Mark Ludbrook 

WHAT’S HAPPENING 

S.H.A.D.O.W.S 

[Soldiers Hungry Approaching 

Difficult Obstacles Wanting Survival] 

Damien Hampton aka Big D, Colin 

Darcy aka Caper and John Gomez 

aka Johnny G, have been rapping 

and producing hip hop individually 

for over ten years. They have 

been performing and recording 

collectively as S.H.A.D.O.W.S for 

close to two years. Currently in 

Derbyshire, UK recording their debut 

EP with producer, Peter Harrington, 

S.H.A.D.O.W.S have been APRA 

members since 2006. 

What is your most marked characteristic as songwriters? 

we talk from a base of real life experience, so we draw on 

that heavily. 

Who would you most like to collaborate with and why? 

Talib Kweli because he writes in a similar way to S.H.A.d.O.w.S, 

Midnight Oil because of their political views, and Lauryn Hill, 

because she has so much soul. 

What’s your favourite piece (that you’ve written)? 

Probably ‘S.H.A.d.O.w.S’, but our debut album has some 

pretty strong tracks, which could become favourites. 

What piece written by another writer do you wish you 

had written, and why? 

Tupac’s ‘unconditional Love’, because of the meaningful 

lyrics, and everyone can relate to it. 

What is the quality you most admire in a composer/songwriter? 

Hearing something coming from the heart. 

What is the best career advice you were ever given? 

That nothing comes easily, and you have to work hard. 

If you were not a songwriter, what might you have 

ended up doing? 

well as there are three of us, it would either be a social 

worker (damien), working at Native Title SA (Colin), and 

an instrumentation electrician (Johnny). 

PUBLISHER NEWS 

APRA NZ: JOHN CHONG-NEE 

CELEBRATING THE CRAFT OF 

SONGWRITING 

MOMENTS IN MUSIC 

A P r A P J u ly 2 0 0 7 > 0 2 

contents

PDAPOSTCARD 

All aboard! 

Damian Crosbie 

and his little 

rock locomotive, 

The Panda Band, 

have been touring 

the US: gaining a 

lot of momentum 

and even more 

fans. An APRA 

Professional 

Development 

Award has 

helped them 

stay on track 

and firmly in 

control 

Sometimes I see people in the street or at 

a show, and frighten them; my smile in turn 

excites my eyebrows in recognition of a past 

meeting. Only we haven’t ever met, and it’s 

a case of wrong city, wrong accent, wrong 

country. Sometimes all three. I bite my 

bottom lip in confusion, fooled again by what 

I’ve come to discover as our tiny planet’s 

lack of true genetic diversity. 

Five national tours, one international tour 

with another planned for this year’s end, 

Northbridge to New York, birthdays in San 

Francisco, time warped, sleep disjointed, 

daylight deprived, and culturally enhanced. 

And hopefully it’s only just begun, because 

it is most enjoyable. 

The timing of my winning the APRA PDA 

couldn’t have been better. ‘Twas the eve of 

the recording of our first album, This Vital 

Chapter. As a young band, we were strong 

in our wish to remain independent to begin 

with, to hold on dearly to our industry 

‘virginity’ for future bargaining power. The 

key to this is owning one’s own recordings. 

The APRA fairies made our wish come true. 

We released the album independently in 

Australia, through Bam*Boo! - our own label 

- and in the U.S.A. through hipsters FILTER 

U.S. Recordings. Licensing to, and releasing 

through FILTER has been such a positive step 

for us. They have only a few bands, run 

a magazine, and also do marketing for the 

US major labels. So they have ‘vays oond 

means’ of getting you heard! 

On our recent US trip, which included 

SXSW, we were able to get the attention of 

the massive college radio network. Stations 

such as KCRW have become great supporters 

of The Panda Band, and this will lead to live 

on-air performances and a brighter spotlight 

in the future. The college circuit is very 

important for bands such as ours, not only 

because they have a large and loyal audience, 

but also because you are able to base a whole 

US national tour on playing campus shows. 

I am now concentrating on writing for our 

next album. It’s exciting and empowering to 

know that our little rock locomotive is building 

up steam, now has a lot more passengers, 

and that we still have the controls. Plus 

petrol’s getting really expensive so more folks 

might start catching the train now. Sweet. 

Music Business 

by the book 

> Ben O’Hara 

By Georgia Blain 

With the internet and cheaper recording costs 

changing the shape of the music industry 

dramatically, young people want the business 

skills to make the most of these opportunities, 

says music teacher Karen Reid. 

She believes the publication of a new series of seven Music 

Business supplements by musicians turned teachers, Mark 

Beard and Ben O’Hara, will be an invaluable help for teachers, 

students and people starting out in the industry. 

Karen, who is the coordinator of Music Business at Sydney 

Institute of TAFE, says there’s been a dramatic growth in music 

business courses across the country offering everything from 

diploma to degree level studies. 

“The supplements contain a thorough and practical coverage 

of each topic, illustrated by simple examples and tables that 

students and practitioners of any level can handle,” she said. 

“There are also additional online resources to access and 

although they are Australia orientated they are generic enough 

to be read by anyone.” 

It’s a sentiment echoed by Tui Lyon and Ashley Breukers, both 

of whom are studying at Box Hill Institute of TAFE. For Tui, the 

books provided just the right amount of information in 

a very practical way. “All the online references (available at 

www.thebiz.com.au) were also incredibly helpful,” she said. 

Ashley, who is also working as a manager, has found he uses the 

books outside his studies. “At the moment, I’m starting work on 

a major concert and everything I need to cover for the event is 

written out in an easy to follow manner,” he said. 

Author, Ben O’Hara, said he and Mark wrote the books because 

they saw a need for material packaged into “manageable 

chunks”. 

Collecting 

Society Code 

of Conduct 

Compliance 

Review 

Your feedback helps drive 

our performance 

APRA and AMCOS subscribe to 

a voluntary Code of Conduct for 

Copyright Collecting Societies. 

The Code came into effect in July 2002, 

and was reviewed in February 2005. 

Some minor amendments were made 

after that review and again recently in 

May 2007. A copy of the updated Code 

can be viewed on and downloaded from 

the APRA website at http://www.apra. 

com.au/corporate/voluntary_code_of_ 

conduct.asp 

Each year, an independent reviewer 

assesses whether the participating 

copyright collecting societies have 

complied with the Code. That review 

is currently being conducted by 

former Federal Court Judge, 

Mr James Burchett QC. 

Members who have concerns about 

a collecting society’s compliance with 

the Code are able to make submissions 

directly to the code reviewer, 

Mr Burchett. Your submissions should 

be made in writing and sent directly to 

Mr Burchett at the following address 

by no later than Tuesday, 31 July 2007. 

The Code Reviewer 

Suite 704 

4 Young Street 

Neutral Bay NSW 2089 

Australia 

codereviewer@screen.org 

APRA encourages all members to 

become familiar with the Code of 

Conduct. We welcome your feedback 

on our compliance with the standards 

outlined in that Code – the information 

you provide helps us to maintain a 

consistently high standard in the 

services we provide to our members, 

licensees and the general public. 

APRAP July 2007 > 04 

Students and people who are new to the industry can also 

access information through the web, with sites such as APRA’s – 

www.apra.com.au – containing answers to frequently asked 

questions. The Australian Music Publishers’ Association Limited 

(AMPAL) site – www.ampal.com.au - also contains information 

about publishing, and feature articles on the music business. 

Special Offer for APRA Members 

Purchase one of the Music Business supplements 

for $24.99 each and receive free postage. 

Or, purchase a set of three for $65 

– save $10 plus free postage. 

Simply contact Kee Sook Griffith on 02 8323 0103 

or email orders@musicsales.com.au to make your purchase. 

Direct debit, Mastercard, Visa and cheque accepted.

Keep an eye on… 

PBS 106.7 FM Live Music Week 

to deliver 60 live 

performances 

in 7 days 

PBS 106.7FM will launch its annual 

Live Music Week with an epic live broadcast 

from Federation Square in Melbourne on Sunday 

2 December. The main stage will host free live 

performances throughout the day, kicking off at 

11am and wrapping up at sunset. The full line-up 

of artists will be released closer to the event. 

> Clive Harrison 

> Thirsty Merc. Photo > Jeff Darmanin. 

APRA|AMCOS can help unpublished 

writers collect royalties for the 

“reproduction” of their musical works. 

That means you may be able to receive 

royalties when your work is: 

• made available for download (including 

as ringtones) or as online streaming 

on the internet 

• reproduced (synchronised) into 

programming made for broadcast 

• released on CD or in another form 

of audio or audio-visual recording 

for retail or commercial purposes. 

It’s part of the service we can offer members 

because of our affiliation with AMCOS 

(Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners 

Society). APRA has managed the day-to-day 

business of AMCOS since 1997. If you’re an 

unpublished writer, you can sign up for AMCOS 

membership and authorise us to collect 

royalties for the reproduction of your works. 

You can tailor your AMCOS membership to suit 

you. You decide what types of reproductions or 

licences you would like AMCOS to administer 

on your behalf, and which ones you would 

prefer to negotiate yourself. For more 

information, check the Writers page of www. 

apra.com.au, or call us on 1800 642 634. 

Clive Harrison, film and TV composer 

(Blinky Bill, Bambaloo, Wicked) and Rai 

Thistlethwayte, singer/songwriter, Thirsty 

Merc, talk about their decision to take up 

AMCOS membership. 

How has the AMCOS service changed things 

for you? 

Clive: There are so many forces at work 

trying to diminish our income stream that 

it’s just incredible to have the backing of 

such powerful and worthy people like at 

APRA|AMCOS. Let’s face it, most musicians 

are pussies when it comes to negotiating 

and dealing with money issues. APRA and 

AMCOS are my backup. 

“Live Music Week highlights the core of what PBS is 

all about – showcasing quality live performances of 

the best Australian and international music – its real 

music and real radio,” said PBS Event Manager Todd 

James. 

“As far as we are aware PBS is the only radio station in 

Australia, possibly in the world that presents so many 

live performances in one week. For that reason we are 

taking our station, with the assistance of Federation 

Square Management, into the heart of Melbourne for 

one day to let the public enjoy the performances of 

the artists celebrating the launch of Live Music Week 

with us.” 

“PBS 106.7FM Live Music Week” 2- 8 December 2007. 

Check www.pbsfm.org.au or tune in to PBS 106.7FM 

for regular updates. 

APRA|Amcos services for 

unpublished 

writers 

Rai: As an unpublished writer, I have to 

keep an eye on all streams of income and 

with both APRA and AMCOS membership 

I can ensure all areas will be covered. For 

a small fee, I know my royalties are being 

collected in areas that are outside of the 

normal income streams being collected 

by my record company. The bottom line 

is: if you’re unpublished, and you’re not a 

member of AMCOS, you can’t get some of 

these streams of income at all. 

How important has it been for you as a 

creator and artist, to be able to exercise 

and manage your rights through APRA and 

AMCOS? Why? 

Clive: My rights, my royalties make up 

nearly my entire income these days. It’s 

simply how I survive and pay the mortgage 

and live month to month. So it is absolutely 

vital to me and my family. It frees my 

head up to do what I do: compose, without 

endlessly stressing about finance. 

Rai: I view APRA and AMCOS as my business 

partners. They help me manage the royalty 

collection part of my business and allow me 

the freedom to concentrate on the creative 

side of my craft. I can be a scatterbrain in 

business, time management, accounting, 

so it’s good to know I’ve got working 

relationships with people in this area who 

aren’t: they get it right and do a great job. 

Kicking off a successful band while you’re still at school 

and working away for the next ten years until you make 

it internationally is a fairly big ask – but not for Shimon 

Moore and Emma Anzai. Sharing a love of silverchair, The 

Living End and Greenday, the Mosman High students began 

jamming together in the school’s music room in 1997. 

Drummer Chris Mileski joined and Sick Puppies were born. 

Moving on from playing covers, to performing their own music 

in pubs across suburbia, they built local recognition resulting 

in the 1999 release of their debut EP, A Dogs Breakfast. 

Shimon dabbled in acting – playing lead role in feature film 

Selkie and a guest spot in medical drama All Saints – but the 

music biz beckoned when Sick Puppies anthem “Nothing 

Really Matters” won Best Song in Triple J’s 2001 Unearthed 

Competition. A record deal soon followed, and their debut 

album Welcome to the Real World was released. They finished 

off the year with a gong from the Australian Live Music Awards 

for Best Live Performance. 

Tours across the country 

soon followed with bands 

such Good Charlotte, The 

Butterfly Effect as well as 

the legendary Deep Purple and Midnight Oil. However, dreams 

of cracking the global music market compelled Sick Puppies 

to prepare for a ‘make or break’ trip to the USA. 

Needing extra money the band members took day jobs. 

Shimon scored a posting in Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall, wearing 

a sandwich board advertising half price shoes. Pacing the 

pavement everyday, he became good friends with Juan Mann 

– a performance artist bearing a hand-written sign, generously 

offering ‘free hugs’. Watching the initial scepticism and suspicion 

of passers-by turn to smiles and warm embraces, gave Shimon 

an idea for a documentary. He soon began filming his friend’s 

unusual hugs service in action, however, the documentary was 

shelved when Sick Puppies headed to LA. 

Signing a record deal with indie label RMR in September 2005, 

they began work on their new album with new drummer, 

Mark Goodwin. Almost a year later, running out of money 

and on the verge of returning home, Shimon discovered 

Juan was also going through tough times. Creating a cheer 

up message, he edited his Free Hugs documentary footage 

into a video clip, using Sick Puppies song “All The Same” as 

the music bed. Sending it to Juan as a present, he also put 

the clip onto video sharing site YouTube – and suddenly Sick 

Puppies’ fortunes changed. 

Scoring one million hits in its first six days, the quirky 

heart-warming clip became a sensation. Prime time 

breakfast programme, Good Morning America, broadcast 

it to millions of TV viewers. Sick Puppies appearances 

on Oprah, 60 Minutes, CNN and a live performance on 

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno soon followed. Added 

to LA’s influential KROQ in early January 2007, “All The 

Same” became a top requested single at commercial 

radio stations across North America, entering Billboard’s 

Modern Rock chart at #23. 

The chorus of support from broadcast, cable and online 

media set up a massive welcome for the US debut of 

their album. It also sparked interest from numerous 

record distributors, including Virgin Records, who signed 

Sick Puppies to a deal, just as their album Dressed Up As 

Life neared completion. 

Released in North America in early April 2007, the album 

debuted on Billboard’s Top Heat Seekers chart/new artist 

chart at #4. Since then, Sick Puppies have been kept busy 

doing guest appearances on radio stations across Canada 

and the USA. 

Hooking up with Aussie globe 

trotters, Wolfmother, at the 

SoCo Festival in Atlanta, 

the band has also played 

support for Jet’s latest 

tour, as well as tours with 

Texan quintet Flyleaf and 

Breaking Benjamin. Their 

new single “My World” is 

finding a home on US 

rock radio and with 

plans afoot for tours 

of UK, Germany and 

Japan, Sick Puppies’ 

journey from high 

school music room 

to international 

stage is only just 

beginning! 

By Kathy Grant, 

Manager International Distribution 

& Monitoring APRA|AMCOS 

APRAP July 2007 > 06

Colin Hay. Photo > Kane Hibbard 

> David Albert, John Watson, 

Michael McMartin, John Woodruff. Photo > Tony Mott 

> Renee Geyer and Marianna Annas. 

Photo > Tony Mott 

> Shannon Noll and Adam Reily. 


> Damian Trotter, Augie March and 

Clare Bowditch. Photo > Tony Mott 

> Eskimo Joe. Photo > Kane Hibbard 

> Peter Garrett, Shadow Minister for Climate 

Change, Environment & Heritage, Arts. 

Photo > Kane Hibbard 

> Auntie Joy Murphy. Photo > Kane Hibbard 

> Katie Noonan. Photo > Kane Hibbard > Phrase. 


> Senator, The Honourable George Brandis SC, 

Minister for The Arts and Sport. 


> Eddie Jacobsen. 


2007 APRA MUSIC AWARD WINNERS 

Most Performed Australian Work 

Title: Lift 

Artist: Shannon Noll 

Writers: Adam Reily* / Bryon Jones / 

Shannon Noll^ / Andrew Roachford (PRS)# 

Publishers: BMG Music Publishing Australia* / 

eMI Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd^ / 

Mushroom Music Pty Ltd # 

Most Performed Foreign Work 

Title: Feel Better 

Artist: Santana featuring Steven Tyler 

Writers: Burleigh Johnson (ASCAP) / 

damon Johnson (ASCAP) / 

James Scoggin (ASCAP)* 

Publishers: Peermusic Pty Ltd / EMI Music 

Publishing Australia Pty Ltd* 

Most Performed Australian Work Overseas 

Title: Are You Gonna Be My Girl 

Artist: Jet 

Writers: Nicholas Cester / Cameron Muncey 

Publishers: BMG Music International / Famous Music 

on behalf of Get Jet Music. Inc 

Most Performed Dance Work 

Title: Flaunt It 

Artist: TV Rock featuring Seany B 

WriterS: Sean Berchik / Ivan Gough / Grant Smillie 

Publisher: Sony / ATV Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd 

Most Performed Urban Work 

Title: 

Artist: 

Writer: 

> Jonathan Biggins. 


Get Up Outta The Dirt 

Butterfingers 

eddie Jacobson 

Most Performed Country Work 

Title: Nothing At All 

Artist: Kasey Chambers 

Writer: Kasey Chambers 

Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd 

Most Performed Blues and Roots Work 

Title: Songbird 

Artist: Bernard Fanning 

Writer: Bernard Fanning 

Publisher: BMG Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd 

Most Performed Jazz Work 

Title: Love Me For The Cool 

Artist: Mark Sholtez 

Writer: Mark Sholtez 

Publisher: EMI Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd 

Song of The Year 

Title: One Crowded Hour 

Artist: Augie March 

Writer: Glenn Richards 

Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing Australia Pty Ltd 

Breakthrough Songwriter 

Glenn Richards 

Songwriter of the Year 

Myles Heskett / Christopher Ross / 

Andrew Stockdale (Wolfmother) 

Ted Albert Award For Outstanding Services 

to Australian Music 

Michael McMartin 

the view from the stage 

By Jonathan Biggins 

The 2007 APRA Awards, this year celebrating 25 years of rewarding excellence in 

Australian songwriting, was a curiously restrained affair. Maybe the audience was 

over-awed by the opulence of the venue, Melbourne’s magnificent Town Hall with its 

pendulous chandeliers and vast pipe organ dominating the stage. Mind you, always 

good to be at a music awards where the biggest organ on display doesn’t belong to 

one of the nominees. 

Even most of the live performances, after a rousing start from Eskimo Joe performing 

their Song-of-the-Year nomination, Black Fingernails Red Wine, took on an introspective 

flavour. I think we can safely say Phrase’s urban work Hold On is on this side of melancholy 

but while Katie Noonan’s exquisite cover of Bernard Fanning’s Watch Over Me was never going to wander into 

toe-tapping territory, TV Rock with Seany B (not to be confused with Humphrey B) certainly did. Colin Hay returned in 

solo acoustic mode to reprise Who Can it Be Now, the first hit from Men at Work’s legendary Business as Usual, which 

in 1982 (the first year of the APRA awards) was the highest selling album in the world. You could understand every word he 

sang - probably because we all knew every word. And funny to think that even now, after twenty-five years, we still 

have no idea who it could’ve been now. 


Things brightened up with the simultaneous appearance of Tex Perkins and Tim Rogers. Obviously workshopping 

some material for their future careers as new-wave stand-up comedians, rock’s senior enfants terribles took us 

briefly to an edgier universe, although it’s hard to pump the ‘tude when you’re working through the nominations list 

for Most-Performed Jazz Work. Maybe they should’ve torn up the winner’s envelope in a frenzy as some sort of 

post-modern tribute to the guitar-trashing antics of The Who and every other pale imitation since. 

> Tex Perkins, Bernard Fanning and Tim 

Rogers. Photo > Tony Mott 

Federal Arts minister Senator George Brandis did an admirable job reading out the nominations for most-performed 

Australian work overseas. Later, Midnight Oil frontman and Shadow Minister for the Arts, Peter Garrett, recognised the 

40th anniversary of the 1967 referendum on Aboriginal rights and introduced Kev Carmody, Paul Kelly and Missy Higgins, 

who navigated their way through Droving Woman, a reflective story-telling epic that ran for a good nine minutes. And Songof-the-Year 

winners Augie March (wrapping up proceedings with a solid live performance of One Crowded Hour) have all 

but cornered the introspection market with their tweed coats, leather elbow patches and Edwardian facial hair - if they 

were any more contemplatively laid-back they’d be carpet tiles. 

> TV Rock 

- Sean Berchik, 

Ivan Gough and 

Grant Smillie. 


> David Faulkner and David 

HirSchfelder. Photo > Tony Mott 

Still, I did manage a rock-and-roll moment at the after-show party which was held in a small phone-booth masquerading 

as a pub in Bourke Street. I was accosted by an inebriated woman, apparently romantically attached to an unspecified 

nominee, who seemed to specifically blame me for their failure to take out the award. She fixed me with eyes struggling 

to focus and slurred repeatedly “I wanna kick your arse”. Thankfully, she didn’t. Or, more accurately, couldn’t - it was 

all she could do to remain upright. Roll on next year!

The Copyright Summit – Creators First – 

CISAC conference in Brussels. 

CISAC, the international umbrella 

organisation representing all creators’ 

collecting societies, held its first creators’ 

summit in Brussels at the end of May 2007. 

The Summit replaced CISAC’s Congress of 

Societies with an outward looking two-day 

global debate on the future of copyright. The 

CISAC Board of Directors (which is chaired 

by APRA|AMCOS CEO Brett Cottle) decided 

the Summit was an essential strategy given 

the growing pressure to soften the legal 

protection afforded to creators in the online 

environment. 

Digital technologies have instigated a 

worldwide reassessment of the notion and 

value of copyright and author’s economic and 

moral rights. The CISAC Summit programme 

explored the complex approaches to these 

issues taken by the creative community, 

technology companies and policy makers. 

The Summit featured three major themes: 

• creators and their rights in the 

21st century 

• the changing role of collective 

management, and 

• whether there should be a 

new deal for creators and the 

entertainment industry. 

It was timely that the Summit was held in 

Brussels since EC and US policymakers and 

ICT industries have recently been focusing 

on the value of creative content and the 

nature of the expanded creative content 

sector. The Brussels location meant that all 

the stakeholders in the future of copyright 

and the development of viable online art 

and entertainment were able to participate. 

The Summit fostered a frank dialogue 

between influential authors, artists, 

creative industry leaders, copyright society 

professionals, content service providers, 

broadcasters, telcos, aggregators, DSPs, 

technology experts, academics, economists, 

political figures and lawmakers. 

CISAC has been in dialogue for several 

years with many emerging actors in the 

digital rights debate. It seeks to nurture 

productive relationships with all sectors, 

including prominent companies and 

organisations such as Google, Microsoft, 

Creative Commons, and YouTube, and to 

advance solutions such as interoperable 

DRMs and standard international 

numbering and reporting systems. The 

keynote speakers included representatives 

of these companies as well as creators 

such as Charles Aznavour, Billy Bragg, and 

Michael Apted to name a few. 

The Summit’s programme focused on giving 

a voice to creators and how new technologies 

will impact their ability to make a living from 

their creative work. One of the highlights of 

the programme was the debate between 

APRA|AMCOS CEO and Chair of CISAC, 

Brett Cottle and the founder of Creative 

Commons, Professor Laurence Lessig on 

“The Value of Copyright in the 21st century – 

should it be free for all….Really?” 

The Summit galvanised co-operation 

between societies representing creators 

worldwide in meeting the challenges of 

using new technology to re-assert the 

value and importance of creators and the 

administration of their IP rights in the 

digital age. 

CISAC appoints songwriter Robin Gibb as 

its new President and filmmaker. 

Renowned songwriter Robin Gibb (of Bee 

Gees Fame) has been elected President of 

CISAC at the CISAC General Assembly, held 

as part of the Summit. Robin will replace 

the German composer Christian Bruhn who 

has served two terms. Robin’s music career 

began in Australia with the Bee Gees. He 

has co-written their famous songs such 

as ‘Night Fever’ and others such as ‘Chain 

Reaction’ for Diana Ross and ‘Heartbreaker’ 

for Dionne Warwick. Robin has a clear 

understanding of the importance of the 

international network of collecting societies 

to creators and has appeared before the 

EC in their defence against attacks from 

European broadcasters. 

The role of CISAC President is an important 

non-executive role representing the millions 

of creators who make up collecting societies 

around the world. Past Presidents of CISAC 

include Richard Strauss (1938-46) and 

more recently Marylin Bergman (1994-98). 

Acclaimed Mexican film director, Alfonso 

Cuaron (Y Tu Mama También and Harry Potter 

and the Prisoner of Azkaban), will assume the 

role of Vice-President of CISAC. 

APRA|AMCOS CEO Brett Cottle re-elected 

Chair of the CISAC Board of Directors 

APRA|AMCOS CEO Brett Cottle has been 

elected Chair of the CISAC Board of Directors. 

Brett has been acting Chair for the last year. 

As Chair of the CISAC Board, he will lead 

an organisation that represents over 200 

societies and the world’s several million 

creators. The Chair of the CISAC Board 

serves a three year term and is elected by 

the Societies that make up the Board. 

International 

Notes 

Scot Morris 

Director International Relations APRA|AMCOS 


Song Summit 

Sydney Dates 

announced 

APRA’s inaugural Song Summit will be held 

at Fox Studios, Sydney on 3 – 5 April, 2008. 

We are thrilled to 

announce a key 

partnership deal 

with the NSW Government 

which will 

deliver investment 

and resources 

to support the event. Designed to provide 

practical information and workshop 

sessions aimed at developing your music 

career, Song Summit will boast a stellar 

line up of international and Australian iconic 

songwriters and business leaders. More 

announcements will be made soon. For 

further information contact Sarah Cattell 

at S3@apra.com.au or check the APRA 

website. 

Online 

Services 

To complement your online APRA royalty 

statements, we have recently developed 

an International Royalty Summary which 

provides a review of your foreign income 

on a per territory basis across the financial 

year, including withholding tax rates and 

administrative charges. You can review your 

International Royalty Summary via the secure 

members section at www.apra.com.au. 

GET PAID FOR 

YOUR LIVE 

PERFORMANCES 

The deadline for on-line LPRs (Live 

Performance Returns) for the period 1 July 

2006 – 30 June 2007 is 31 August. Don’t 

miss out. www.apra.com.au 

APRA Awards 

Having just packed our air guitars away 

after celebrating 25 years of the APRA 

Awards (see pages 7-8), we now look 

forward to honouring our contemporary 

classical composers at the Classical 

Music Awards, to be held at the Sydney 

Theatre on Wednesday 12 September. 

While your diaries are open, the Screen 

M u s i c A w a rd s a re s l a te d fo r Tu e s d a y 

27 November at City Recital Hall in Sydney. 

Call for nominations for the Screen Music 

Awards are now open. Entry forms can 

be downloaded from www.apra.com.au. 

For more information, contact Jana Gibson 

– jgibson@apra.com.au 

the APRA roadshow 

By Sally Howland 

Director Member Services 

APRA|AMCOS 


The APRA Roadshow is coming to a town near you. Register your interest and keep an 

eye on www.apra.com.au for details. 


Further online developments include a 

fully integrated membership application 

process for both writer and publisher APRA 

and AMCOS applicants. Typically, over the 

course of 12 months, APRA|AMCOS would 

send approximately 7,000 membership 

packs to aspiring new members. The new 

online membership application process will 

virtually eliminate the need for any paperbased 

forms. The administrative savings 

in terms of handling costs, postage and 

stationery will deliver to members’ further 

reductions in overheads associated with 

this process. We expect the new facility to 

be available this September. 

City Date/venue Topic register your interest 

Adelaide Tuesday 9 October The Indie Special sant@apra.com.au 

– Part II 

Perth Wednesday 10 October The Indie Special wa@apra.com.au 

– Part II 

Brisbane Monday 15 October The Songwriter qld@apra.com.au 

and the Producer 

Melbourne Monday 29 October The Songwriter victas@apra.com.au 

and the Producer

ANBASE: 

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME 

Try the 

personal 

touch 

Laura Imbruglia - singer/ 

songwriter. 

Compiled by Kirti Jacobs and Anthea Sarris, 

APRA|AMCOS Communications 

No-one 

likes a lazy 

band 

Meredith Webb – 

Booker, The Annandale. 

Here’s why you need to build a fanbase: 

it’s like money in the bank. It 

can get you that residency you’ve 

been coveting. It can get your music 

heard. It can get booking agents and 

managers to pay attention. You can 

bring it to the table, along with your 

music, and people will notice. 

We’ve spoken to the experts. Singer/ 

songwriters, managers, booking 

agents, venue managers – they all 

agree: a decent fan-base can be your 

launch pad to success. 

And the only way to make it happen is 

to work at it. Like all relationships, 

a fan-base takes careful nurturing. 

Being business-like helps, but it’s 

the personal touch that keeps fans 

loyal. And today, internet technology 

makes that easier. Read on to find 

out how and why. 

USE IT OR 

lose it 

Dorry Kartabani – Booking 

Agent, The Harbour Agency 

There are many ways to 

collect data: email lists, 

MySpace, posters, handbills, 

press ads and so on. People 

need to know about you 

before they become fans. 

However, collecting data 

does not make an effective 

fan-base. The artist needs to 

interact with their fan-base: 

whether by personal group 

emails or by hanging out at 

a show after a performance 

and always performing at 

their best. That’s what gets 

people talking and that’s 

how an effective fan-base 

comes about. 

On building a fan-base… 

MySpace and YouTube should 

only be a part of the strategy, 

not all of the strategy, in 

collecting a fan-base. They 

can be a total waste of time 

if not used correctly. 

Shihad. They changed their 

name to Pacifier and had 

to start over. They’ve now 

reverted to their old name, 

Shihad, and did some dates 

recently with Evanescence 

and played to a brand new 

crowd. They did a great job 

warming up the crowd – it 

was inspiring to watch them. 

They haven’t had a record out 

in 18 months, but their hard 

core fans are still there; and 

they’re consciously working 

at establishing themselves 

with a younger crowd. 

Multinational corporations 

spend millions on setting 

themselves up as a life style 

choice for a generation. 

Bands need to do the 

same thing. Go back to the 

well frequently, challenge 

yourself, take the time to 

draw new crowds – it’s 

important to still reconnect 

with the younger crowd.• 

Bring the 

fans into 

your world 

Gregg Donovan - Step2 Artist 

Management 

Photo > Tristan Still. 

I’ve been playing since late 

2001, and I’ve always taken 

a mailing list with me to 

my shows so people can 

put their email down and I 

let them know when I have 

shows coming up. I guess 

a personal touch works 

wonders. 

It doesn’t take long to write 

something once a month or 

whenever you have time to 

directly address your fans 

(as few or many as you may 

have). People feel like you’re 

their friend. The personal 

touch thing has been the 

best. It has a subtle effect. I 

don’t know if it’s measurable, 

but people seem to enjoy my 

silly emails. And if they don’t, 

they can unsubscribe! 

On MySpace pages… 

I think they are a really 

positive thing. You can hear a 

song on a friend’s page, click 

on the music player, and be 

taken directly to the band’s 

page to hear more! Or if 

someone hears one song of 

mine on the radio, MySpace 

gives them the opportunity 

to listen to other tracks, see 

what shows I have coming up, 

and learn a bit more about 

me. Of course, a website can 

offer these things too, but 

MySpace provides a familiar 

format that is easy and quick 

to navigate. 

Don’t forget to… 

Be humble, be nice to 

people, reply to their emails, 

take time to talk to them 

(even if they’re really weird). 

The weirdos are the most 

passionate, devoted music 

fans out there. Trust me - I 

work in a record store.• 

Bands need to be very 

organised in terms of following 

work sheets, playing 

times, loading instructions 

and be very proactive in 

promoting themselves, the 

event and the hotel. No one 

likes a lazy band! 

A fan-base is very important. 

If they have a huge following 

that comes to their shows 

(not just a huge MySpace 

friend list) every booker, 

venue and promoter will take 

notice. Lots of fans mean 

lots of gigs. 

On building a fan-base … 

Our [The Annandale’s] 

website is by far the best 

source of developing a fanbase 

as is MySpace. All of 

our show and venue info is 

listed on our site, plus we do 

most of our ticketing trade 

through there. People have 

the option to sign up to our 

weekly newsletter. To date 

we have over 8,000 recipients 

plus a good whack of mates 

on our MySpace page too! 


I think they’re perfect for 

bookers, as it gives you the 

ability to really see what a 

band has to offer in the way 

of demos, gig listings, what 

they’re up to, where they’ve 

been and even who is seeing 

them/being their friends. I 

think a MySpace site can 

show a lot more of a band’s 

‘personality’ than a proper 

website.• 

You can 

never have 

enough 

advertising 

Loren McHenry - Booker, The 

Hopetoun, Surry Hills 

We ask bands to email 

their full details and playing 

history in Sydney. We also 

have a new band program 

that runs on Monday nights 

so bands can show us what 

they’ve got. 

We have no day trade in here 

so we totally rely on bands 

bringing the people into the 

room so the main criteria is 

that they make the effort to 

get people along to their shows 

and that they show initiative 

in the way they promote and 

organise the show. 

The band/artist’s fan-base is 

the main factor when deciding 

to book them. We are a very 

small boutique pub; the only 

way we can survive is to have 

people spending money over 

the bar. 

On building a fan-base… 

Use mailing lists, street teams, 

just basically get news about 

your show out through every 

avenue possible. There’s plenty 

of free advertising out there for 

bands on a budget and you can 

never have enough advertising. 

Websites and MySpace pages 

are awesome. It makes my job 

a hell of a lot easier to contact 

and listen to different bands.• 

Use it or 

Don’t lose them once you have 

them. Collecting names is 

easy, keeping them interested 

is the challenge. Keep building 

your profile in the media and 

on the scene. Make sure your 

show and songs are up to 

scratch. Promote all your 

shows in the right media. Get 

the right people talking about 

you (e.g., reviews). In regards 

to looking for an agency, 

always remember, the good 

agent will always find you...• 

Go back to 

the well 

Owen Orford, Booking Agent 

– TPA Entertainment Agency 

Responsive career bands 

have a depth in their 

relationships with their 

audience. You can salvage 

a career when you’ve got a 

great live fan-base. We’ve 

just had a really pleasant 

result for Shihad – the group 

hit a rough patch after 9/11 

when their American label 

refused to release their 

album under the name 

The kind of artists we 

manage – Melanie Horsnell, 

Josh Pyke, Grinspoon and 

Airbourne – they’re singer/ 

songwriter acts that put on 

great live shows; artists 

who have a long life-span 

ahead of them. They’re not 

artists who are aiming for 

just one big radio hit. If you 

don’t have a fan-base, but 

you have some good media 

and a bit of a song, the next 

time round, those people 

aren’t going to be there 

for you. There’s no base to 

fall back on. Creatively, all 

artists have records that 

aren’t as strong as the last 

one and maybe the next 

one’s going to be stronger 

than all the previous ones. 

But if you have a core fanbase 

that’s always there for 

you, it gives you the luxury 

of being able to make 

mistakes, to experiment 

more and to do more with 

your career. 


User Generated Content 

licensing and copyright challenges 

By Frank Rodi, Online & Mobile Licensing Manager, 

APRA|AMCOS 

Josh Pyke’s debut album 

came in at number four. And 

that’s because he had a core 

fan-base there to launch off. 

It took four years of serious 

development to create that 

launch pad to go from. 

Without that launch pad, you 

might have a great looking 

rocket, but you’re not going 

anywhere. 

What’s the best way of 

using the internet to build 

a fan-base? 

The internet is crucial and 

it’s a fabulous new tool but it 

has to be looked at like one 

of those big pin-up notice 

boards at university that’s 

full of stuff about guitar 

lessons and houses to rent 

and other ads. Everybody’s 

walking by it not necessarily 

paying attention. There’s 

still a lot of important work 

to be done offline in order 

to attract people to you 

online. To make sure your 

ad is pulled off that bulletin 

board and you’re the focus 

when people are walking by 

– that’s the really big job 

to do offline. So online is a 

fabulously powerful tool, but 

you still need to do all the 

traditional things to make 

it work. 

Forget that you’re in the 

music business and start 

seeing yourself as being 

in the entertainment business. 

That’s where the industry 

seems to be heading in the 

short term: delivering a 

whole package that’s seen 

as value for money. So, for 

example, offering a DVD 

that contains the music, a 

documentary on the band, 

a t-shirt or a cap, all at a 

lower price. Think of your 

music as a whole package. 

Think in terms of ringtones, 

wallpaper on your website, 

creating a brand that has 

a community around it, 

video games, downloadable 

t-shirts prints that they 

can print on themselves 

and having things that they 

can interact with. Get them 

involved and into the band’s 

world. • 

Fan 

maintenance 

is the key 

Paul Stepanek - Paul 

Stepanek Management (PSM) 

These days building a fanbase 

is definitely a multiple 

strategy. Not only do you have 

to use traditional methods 

by playing live and being in 

people’s faces on a regular 

basis, the importance of 

online marketing and the web 

is undeniable. Apart from your 

own site, community based 

websites and playing live, 

brand associations are also 

more and more common. 

Finally, fan maintenance is the 

absolute key to the success of 

a band/artist. If you have a 

good product, obtaining fans 

is the easy part, however, 

keeping them is what many 

bands struggle with. 

What works … 

Having a functional website 

that communicates information 

to your audience 

quickly is the best way to 

go. Kids want the info fast 

and unless you can give it 

to them within a couple of 

clicks you will lose them. 

Having ’Fan Traps’ and 

‘Auto Responders’ on your 

website will assist in fan 

maintenance and encourage 

your fans in feeling part of a 

community. 

Regular blogs which create 

a thread about the band that 

people want to follow and 

check in on from time to time 

is also an excellent tool. Give 

something away to your fans 

for signing up to a mailing 

list e.g. a free download, 

wallpaper, banner, 2-for-1 

entry to your next show – 

it all helps to secure their 

email address. Short viral 

videos are an excellent tool 

to keep people interested in 

the artist as communication 

is more intimate through 

visuals, so a visual tour diary 

or video blog are both great 

ideas. 

On MySpace 

and YouTube … 

These two sites alone have 

changed certain aspects of 

the music business. It gives 

the consumer the power to 

choose what they like and 

taste-test the artist. It also 

gives the artist/management 

instant market research 

and shows what people are 

reacting to by the number of 

plays, views, comments etc 

In my opinion, the greatest 

aspect of these sites is that 

they give you instant access 

to your fans. It is key for 

bands to embrace these 

sites and know everything 

there is to know about them 

and maintain contact with 

their fans on a daily basis 

and update the content as 

often as possible. It certainly 

helped Sick Puppies on their 

journey in having over 15 

million people take notice 

of their “Free Hugs/All the 

same” video.• 

The 

Ultimate 

Fan Club! 

Melanie Horsnell – singer/ 

songwriter 

Having a fan-base is the only 

way an independent artist 

can really get some of the 

bigger gigs if there is no 

label to push you onto a bill. 

You have to rely on building 

up a good crowd to prove 

yourself for bigger shows 

and supports. 


It’s the best way for fans 

to find and communicate 

with you. It’s the ultimate 

fan club! I remember being 

annoyed at band sites that 

were purely a front and who 

never answered messages, 

so I have tried to be active 

and reply to as many people 

as possible. This really 

helps as then those people 

reply and tell their friends. 

It compounds. It is time 

consuming but dreadfully 

fun in an old school fan club 

sense. I’ve found it much 

more useful than a regular 

website, much more instant 

and alive.• 

One of the great things about my 

job at APRA|AMCOS is the constant 

evolution of new technologies and 

applications. This also happens 

to be one of the most challenging 

parts of my role as Online & Mobile 

Licensing Manager, as often there 

are no simple answers for dealing 

with rapidly shifting paradigms 

and in an environment where 

legislative and regulatory changes 

often lag behind. 

Over the last few years we’ve been 

catapulted into a new world of 

digital media, where users have 

taken control of how they engage 

and interact with content. No 

longer beholden to music directors 

of multinational radio stations or 

the odd late night music show on 

TV, audiences have much greater 

access to a wide range of content 

that can be consumed at a time 

and place of the user’s choosing. 

The balance of control is shifting 

from the broadcaster to the creator 

– to the point where media content is 

now being produced and determined 

by the end-users themselves. This 

2007 call for apra & amcos 

board nominations 

In accordance with the APRA and 

AMCOS Constitutions, nominations 

for the position of Director can be 

received up to 60 days prior to 

the date of the Annual General 

Meeting (AGM). 

The APRA AGM and the AMCOS 

AGM will be held on 16 November 

2007. Accordingly, nominations for 

the APRA Director positions and 

AMCOS Director positions must be 

received by the Company Secretary 

at the APRA|AMCOS head office in 

Sydney, by no later than close of 

business Friday 14 September. 

APRA Board 

At the AGM, the APRA writer full 

members are to elect two (2) 

Writer Directors, including a New 

Zealand Writer Director, and the 

publisher full members are to elect 

two (2) Publisher Directors. The 

New Zealand Writer Director will 

be elected by New Zealand Writer 

Full Members, and Australian 

Writer Full Members will elect the 

Australian Writer Director. 

The retiring APRA Directors have 

served three (3) successive annual 

terms in office. All four (4) retiring 

new phenomena is known as User 

Generated Content (UGC) - part 

of the Web 2.0 revolution - and is 

characterised by the emergence of 

such sites as MySpace, YouTube, 

Wikipedia, Flickr and Second Life. 

Web 2.0 has been enabled by the 

arrival of faster, cheap and widelyavailable 

broadband, and is a term 

applied to the perceived ongoing 

transition of the World Wide Web 

from a collection of websites to 

a full-fledged computing platform 

serving web applications to end 

users. Ultimately it’s claimed that 

Web 2.0 services will replace many 

desktop computing applications. 

Web 2.0 also has a strong emphasis 

on online collaboration and sharing 

among users. The perception that 

individuals are being handed back 

‘control of the web’ may also be 

one of the reasons user generated 

sites such as MySpace and YouTube 

have been so quickly embraced by 

the masses. 

Popular content across Web 2.0 

ranges from music, digital video, 

Directors are eligible, and intend to 

stand, for re-election. 

AMCOS Board 

At the AGM, AMCOS full members 

are to elect four (4) Directors. The 

retiring AMCOS Directors have 

served three (3) successive annual 

terms in office. All four (4) retiring 

directors are eligible, and intend to 

stand, for re-election. 

Nominations 

Writer Directors of APRA must be 

Writer Full Members. Publisher 

Directors of APRA must be 

representatives of Publisher Full 

Members. Nominees for positions 

on either Board must be eligible 

to receive notice of, and attend and 

vote at, the AGM in November. 

AMCOS Directors must either be Full 

Members, or the representatives of 

Full Members. 

Nominations must be in writing 

and signed by a full member, 

and must also be signed by the 

nominee. For a copy of the APRA 

and/or AMCOS Nomination Forms 

and to discuss your eligibility for 

nomination, please contact APRA 

blogging, podcasts, photography, 

games, virtual spaces and wikis – 

a term used to describe websites 

where visitors can add, remove, 

edit and change content. 

The dilemma for copyright 

owners is determining the most 

appropriate approach: initiating 

take-down regimes, entering 

into licence agreements, or a 

combination of the two. Indeed 

recently, some copyright owners 

have sought deals with particular 

UGC websites, whilst others are 

intent on preventing their property 

being used on these services. What 

is abundantly clear is that many 

UGC sites rely on access to and 

use of, the intellectual property of 

others to drive their sites. 

Of course it isn’t just users that 

have been attracted to UGC sites; 

they have also raised the interest of 

big media players. The last couple 

of years have seen billions of dollars 

exchange hands with News Limited 

purchasing MySpace and Google 

buying YouTube. 

and AMCOS Company Secretary, 

Dean Ormston on (02) 9935 7900 or 

email dormston@apra.com.au. 

If you are nominated for a position 

on either Board, and you consent to 

the nomination, you will be asked to 

provide short biographical details 

that we will provide to all eligible 

full members prior to the AGMs 

in accordance with the APRA and 

AMCOS Constitutions. You can read 

the Constitutions, and the Charters 

of Corporate Governance which 

outline the responsibilities of APRA 

and AMCOS Directors, at http:// 

www.apra.com.au/corporate/ 

DocsPolicies.asp 

Queries 

Any queries relating to the 

nomination process or eligibility for 

nomination should be directed to 

the Company Secretary. 

Dean Ormston 

Company Secretary 

Corporate Affairs & Communications 

02 9935 7900 

dormston@apra.com.au 

Other sites such as Second Life have 

developed a virtual world where 

avatars can roam through virtual 

streets, attend virtual rock concerts 

and have a dance at virtual nightclubs 

- whilst listening to real copyright 

music. Again, wonderful new licensing 

challenges which need to be carefully 

considered and addressed. Perhaps 

one solution would be to establish a 

virtual collecting society within this 

new virtual world! 

Major Australian media companies 

are also becoming involved, with 

organisations such as the ABC and 

Telstra purchasing virtual land on 

Second Life. Currently they are in 

the process of finding new ways to 

exploit their (and others’) content 

within this cyberspace. 

APRA|AMCOS sees these 

challenges as new opportunities to 

generate money for our members. 

As an organisation we’ve always 

embraced new distribution models, 

while reinforcing the basic rights of 

our members to control how their 

work is used and to receive fair 

remuneration. Watch This Space! 

THINK 

GREEN 

THINK 

E-VOTING 

APRA|AMCOS is 

committed to improving the 

way we do business to help the 

environment and reduce costs. 

Over the past year we have been 

inviting members to register for 

e-voting and other electronic 

communications, including 

accessing Annual Reports and 

AGM notices online. To date, 

24% of APRA members (eligible 

to vote) have signed up for 

electronic communications. 

14 

This year we are aiming to 

increase this to 50% and make 

significant reductions in paper 

use and costs. If you haven’t 

already registered, please email 

enotices@apra.com.au with the 

subject heading “Register Me” 

and we’ll make sure you become 

part of our green solution.

Lobby Loyde 

This year, the Australian music industry was saddened by the passing 

of two rock greats: Billy Thorpe and Lobby Loyde. Billy and Lobby shared 

the stage in the late sixties and early seventies as Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs. 

Over the past four decades they have inspired several generations 

of songwriters, performers and music lovers. 

Lobby Loyde 

1942-2007 

“More than anyone else, Lobby helped create the Australian guitar 

sound. Long before Angus (Young) or Billy Thorpe or the Angels or 

Rose Tattoo. Lobby inspired Australian bands to step forward and 

play as loud and aggressively as they could. People are still trying 

to copy it today.” Angry Anderson (The Age, 2006) 

Lobby Loyde – born John Baslington Lyde – influenced countless 

performers both here and overseas through his playing, 

songwriting and production work. After ground-breaking stints with 

the Purple Hearts and the Wild Cherries, and a crucial tenure from 

1969-1972 as a member of Billy Thorpe’s new Aztecs, Loyde forged 

a new band, The Coloured Balls, in 1972. They performed with Billy 

Thorpe and others on the sunbury ‘73 live album, Summer Jam. 

in the mid-70s, Lobby released a solo album and spent four years 

in the UK where he embraced punk. Upon his return to Australia 

he joined rose Tattoo as bass player. Then in the ‘80s, Lobby 

moved into production and live sound mixing, producing acclaimed 

recordings for the sunnyboys, Kevin Borich, Machinations, Flaming 

Hands, X and Painters and Dockers. He returned to the stage in 

the early ‘90s with the super group Dirt. 

2002 was a stellar year for Lobby: he reunited The Coloured Balls 

to take part in the Long Way to the Top concert tour and celebrated 

his 40th year in music by being inducted into the Australian Blues 

Foundation Hall of Fame. 

in 2006 Lobby was inducted into the AriA Hall of Fame. Having 

been part of the Australian musical landscape since the 1960s, 

Lobby was a true rock and roll renegade, loved by music fans and 

musicians alike. Lobby passed away on saturday 21st April after a 

long battle with lung cancer. He will be sorely missed. 

Billy Thorpe 

Billy Thorpe 

1946-2007 

Most people knew Billy Thorpe as a master showman; 

a charismatic presence on the stage who could work a crowd 

like no other performer. Billy was also an exceptional songwriter: 

over his 50-year career, he crafted and performed iconic Australian 

pop and rock songs. songs such as “it’s Almost summer” and “Most 

People i Know...” are part of our national history as much as they 

are part of the personal hist ory of any music lover in the 60s and 

70s. Billy’s songs inspired and influenced generations of Australian 

songwriters and musicians. His talent, enthusiasm and genuine 

passion for the Australian music industry will be greatly missed, 

but never forgotten. 

in February of this year, Billy was appointed Director of support Act 

Limited. His acceptance letter to the sAL Board captured perfectly 

his spirit and dedication to Australian songwriters and music. 

“One of my main reasons for the benefit idea is to help fill SAL’s 

coffers with some serious funds ASAP that can both elevate SAL 

and its effectiveness as an organisation and be used to give 

applicants a more significant amount of money when needed… 

The public will soon grow weary of fund raisers for old musicians; 

I felt something needed to be done now that affords more meaningful 

grants to those who genuinely need it. Particularly terminal patients. 

And that takes real money. Hence the idea of a super benefit that 

produces a super SAL fund and negates the necessity of doing a 

benefit every time one of our musical brothers or sisters goes down.” 

Billy was farewelled by family and friends at a memorial service 

at the sydney entertainment Centre in March. All in attendance 

echoed the sentiment expressed by Billy’s close friend, Michael 

Chugg, in his tribute to the rock legend: 

“Have a safe journey mate; don’t be too hard on Elvis, Lennon 

and Hendrix when you tell them you’re taking over the band.” 

> Lobby Loyde & Billy Thorpe – inducted into the ARIA Hall of fame, 2006. Photo > Martin Philbey, courtesy ARIA 

> david Hirschfelder 

> Basil Hogios 

By Michelle O’donnell, Manager – film & TV writers APRA | AMCOS 

Michelle O’donnell 


YAnTrA De viLDer has scored the new film by 

david Bradbury. while politicians and sections of the 

media call for a nuclear ‘solution’ to global warming, 

award-winning film-maker david Bradbury’s latest 

documentary, A Hard Rain, presents the other side of 

the debate, exposing the hidden agendas and the grim 

truths behind this push for a nuclear Australia. It’s a 

compelling and chilling indictment against uranium 

mining and the nuclear industry. david Bradbury is 

one of Australia’s best known and most successful 

documentary filmmakers. His films have been shown 

on all the major Australian commercial and public 

broadcast networks as well as overseas. He has 

won countless international film festival prizes and 

been the winner of five AfI awards and two Academy 

Award nominations (Frontline and Chile:Hasta Cuando?) 

Bradbury has been following the nuclear debate for 

the past 30 years and has previously made three major 

films on the issue: Public Enemy Number One, Jabiluka, 

and Blowin’ in the Wind. 

Richard Roxburgh’s new film Romulus My Father has 

a score composed by BAsiL HoGios. films featuring 

Basil’s work have also screened in major film festivals 

around the world. His orchestral score for SuB was 

nominated for an APRA/AGSC award for Best Score 

for a Short film, and he won the prestigious directors’ 

Choice Gold Medal at the Park City film Music 

festival. A graduate of the AfTRS Screen Composing 

course, Basil received the 2005 Sydney Theatre Award 

for Best Score, for the critically acclaimed Three 

Furies (Scenes from the Life of Francis Bacon). He has 

worked with major Australian theatre companies, 

including Melbourne Theatre Company (Don’s Party), 

Bell Shakespeare (The Tempest) and Griffin (Holding 

The Man, Mr Bailey’s Minder and Burning.) 

DAviD HirsCHFeLDer has been extremely busy; 

he has just finished the score for the Canadian film 

adaptation of Romeo dallaire’s autobiography, Shake 

Hands with the Devil. The book details the personal 

journey of dallaire as uN Commander through the 

1994 Rwandan genocide and how dallaire’s request for 

more aid went ignored by the united Nations. The film 

was shot in Rwanda, post production in Montreal and 

the score was composed and recorded in Melbourne. 

Shake Hands with the Devil will be released late 2007. 

david’s second project is the film The Children of Huang 

Shi with director Roger Spottiswoode and a stellar 

cast including Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Radha Mitchell, 

Chow yun-fat, Michelle yeoh and david wenham. It is 

the true story of young British journalist, George Hogg 

(Meyers), who with the assistance of a courageous 

nurse (Mitchell) and a Chinese partisan fighter, saves 

a group of orphaned children during the Japanese 

invasion of China in 1937. Scoring commenced in 

Melbourne in April. 

Veteran Melbourne-based composer GeorGe 

DreYFUs will be travelling to Germany later this year 

for a series of concerts featuring live performances 

of his music accompanying Tim Burstall’s silent film, 

Sebastian’s Greatest Adventure. The performance will 

take place at the Apollo-Saal of the Staatsoper unter 

den Linden in Berlin on November 4 & 5. for more 

information email gdreyfus@bigpond.net.au . 

The federal Government’s film Package, announced 

in the 2007 budget, will be seen as a huge boost to 

Australian filmmakers and the future of the Australian 

film production industry. The value of the commitment 

by Government is an estimated additional $280 million 

over the next four years. The new Producers’ Rebate 

scheme will replace 10BA, and hopefully simplify the 

process of Government taxation concessions and is 

not artificially capped. The increased Location Rebate 

also includes post production, digital and visual effects 

(PdV) expenditure. 

A P r A P J u ly 2 0 0 7 > 1 6

Byron Bay singer-songwriter MATT SEABERG has 

released his debut album, Gemini’s Many Sides. 

Working with producers PAUL GOMERSALL (BLUR, 

KATE BUSH, GEORGE MICHAEL) and MARK WARD; 

the album features nine tracks showcasing a plethora 

of vocal styles and smorgasbord of influences from 

funk, rock and ballads, to groove, blues and world 

music. Matt will be touring the east coast in august, 

check out www.mattseaberg.com or www.myspace. 

com/mattseabergmusic for gig details 

WOMEN IN DOCS (ROZ PAPPALARDO and CHANEL LUCAS) 

are strapping on their trustworthy Doc Marten boots for 

another trip to the States in July and August, this time to release 

their acclaimed follow up album, Red Wine and Postcards, 

through Baria Records. More info - www.womenindocs.com 

and www.myspace.com/womenindocs 

West Australian bluesman DAVE HOLE has just released his 

ninth album. Rough Diamond is available locally through Black 

Cat/Shock and in USA on the Blind Pig label. Widely regarded 

as one of the all-time slide guitar greats, Dave has just returned 

from a European tour which 

included a sell-out concert at the 

prestigious Moscow International 

Performing Arts Centre. See - 

www.davehole.com 

On their latest release, Australian 

afro-guitar enthusiasts OKAPI 

GUITARS seem to be drifting 

northwards. Their new album Haram 

Homebrew is drier and harsher than 

their previous release. The band’s 

> David Hole’s new album Rough Diamond. 

characteristic interplay of two or more 

melodic guitars is augmented by banjo, 

bottleneck slide, dulcimer, pedal steel and sparse horn parts. Frequently 

drum kit is bypassed in favour of smaller percussion such as bongos and 

doumbek. www.okapiguitars.com 

ALIKI is about to release her third album in six years. One year in the 

making, Promise will deliver a surprise package to listeners past and 

new. Radio and television airplay is in the pipeline, including a nice piece 

for Country Music Television fans. Radio savvy, catchy melodies make this 

album a stand out, the result of work by producer/co-writer STEVEN DIX. 

Promise will be available through Crossroad Distribution, Koorong and at ALIKI 

concerts across Australia - www.aliki.com.au 

Northern Territory singer and songwriter HARMONY JAMES has taken 

out first place in the country division of the International Songwriting 

Competition with her song “Tailwind”. The song is also her current radio 

single and has been turning heads throughout the country since its March 

release. Harmony’s recently released, self-titled debut EP is available for 

purchase at www.harmonyjames.com 

Sydney-based singer-songwriter LUKE RUSSELL has released his debut album 

The Kiss That Lasted All Weekend - a little bit pop, a touch alt-country, with a dash 

of folk and blue-eyed soul. A heartfelt, hand-made record (the album was recorded 

in his bedroom); The Kiss That Lasted All Weekend is available now on Half A Cow, 

distributed by MGM. www.halfacow.com.au 

Compiled by 

Bowden Campbell 

and Milly Petriella 

Contributions should be emailed 

to bcampbell@apra.com.au 

Deadline for the December 2007 

issue is 19 October 2007. 

AUDREY AULD MEZERA’s 

album Lost Men and Angry Girls 

(Reckless Records) topped the 

Freeform Americana Roots 

(FAR) chart in February and 

March, and reached #2 on the 

EuroAmericana chart in March. 

Her song “Losing Faith” won 

the Chris Austin Song Contest, 

MerleFest in 2006. More info - 

www.audreyauld.com 

> Audrey Auld Mezera 

Perth based big band MFO, 

lead by 2004 APRA PDA 

recipient MACE FRANCIS, has 

just released a brand new CD 

– MFO LIVE, recorded while on 

tour in the eastern states last 

November. 2007 has already 

been a successful year for MFO 

with the release of the new CD, a 

WAMI nomination for Best Jazz 

Act, commissioning of new work 

and plans for another eastern 

states tour later this year. See 

www.macefrancis.com or www. 

myspace.com/macefrancis. 

Australia’s Vietnam Veterans are 

delighted that ABC Shops have 

chosen to add the new fundraiser 

CD, Vietnam Dreamscape, to 

their retail shelves. The album 

features 14 original songs 

that provide the listener with a 

window into the conscious and 

subconscious minds of combat 

veterans. Written and performed 

by FRANCIS EDWARDS; for 

more information go to www. 

myspace.com/francisjedwards 

> Francis Edwards 

After a year of trekking between 

the west and east coasts, Perth 

band THE WOODENELVES 

have released their debut 

album, Trips Between Worlds; 

recorded in Sydney under the 

direction (and drumming) of 

TIM POWLES along with the 

bass of STEVE KILBEY (fellow 

member of THE CHURCH). The 

band will be gigging heavily to 

support the release – see www. 

myspace.com/thewoodenelves 

or www.thewoodenelves.com 

for details. 

> The Woodenelves 

Melbourne-based garage rock 

‘n blues ‘n soulers, 84 have 

released their debut album, You, 

Me and Infamy. Having completed 

a North American tour, they 

recorded their debut album 

at Chowtown Studios, Detroit. 

The band toured nationally to 

celebrate the release in May, and 

performed at Toronto’s NXNE 

Music Conference in June. 

The album is available now 

on Warthog Records through 

Shock. Visit www.myspace. 

com/84ishere for more. 

HARRY ANGUS (THE CAT 

EMPIRE) has teamed up with 

noted composer, producer 

and APRA Award winner 

JAN SKUBISZEWSKI to form 

JACKSON JACKSON. Their 

debut album, The Fire Is On the 

Bird, is described as “a true 

breath of jazzy, funky, afro-beaty, 

hip-hoppy fresh air”. Out now 

on EMI – see www.myspace. 

com/jacksonjacksonmusic 

AZTEC MUSIC continue to 

release classic Australian 

albums from the past. Aztec have 

re-issued singer-songwriter 

ROSS RYAN’s third album …my 

name means horse, packaged 

in their famous six panel digipak, 

with two bonus tracks, a 

24 page book with rare photos 

and liner notes by Ted Lethborg. 

Also re-issued is At Home With 

You, the classic second album 

from the legendary 

X. Featuring 

IAN RILEN, STEVE 

LUCAS and CATHY 

GREEN, the album 

was produced by 

LOBBY LOYDE 

and features the 

HUNTERS AND COLLECTORS’ 

horn section on three tracks. 

The disc also contains an entire 

show recorded live for a 3PBS FM 

radio broadcast at The Prince Of 

Wales Hotel, Melbourne in 1985. 

More info - www.aztecmusic.net 

‘The Girl Who Wants To Be With 

The Girls’ is the second single 

for Brisbane’s THE INCREDIBLE 

STRAND. Recorded at Black 

Box Studios, the song has been 

lifted from the foursome’s debut 

platter, The Name Of This Band 

Is The Incredible Strand and 

follows the 2006 release of ‘You 

Broke My Heart At The Big Day 

Out’. A video and solid touring 

are ahead – check out www. 

theincrediblestrand.com for all 

the info. 

> The Incredible Strand 

JUZZIE SMITH’s music is the 

result of an eclectic blend of 

many genres and cultures. 

His music travels from a 

mellow world music vibe with 

slide guitar, didge and throat 

singing to high energy, foot 

stomping blues numbers with 

his harmonica, resonator, beats 

and kahun percussion. He has 

now released his third album, 

Happy Daze and is embarking on 

a string of pub and club dates to 

support the release. More info - 

www.juzziesmith.com 

Maverick music/ 

art group, THE 

BRASS BED, 

known for their 

unique trashnoir 

sound, have 

released their 

first DVD, The Super 8 Video LP. It’s 

the complete visual companion to 

their album Save Your Breath. The 

DVD is available online at www. 

geocities.com/thebrassbed 

and for more good times see 

myspace.com/thebrassbed. 

DARREN PERCIVAL spent the 

90s touring the world with 

JAMES MORRISON. A trip to 

New York in 2004 to study under 

his mentor, a cappella master 

BOBBY MCFERRIN, inspired 

him to create the live show Out Of 

The Loop. Now performing under 

the moniker MR PERCIVAL, he 

has released a CD of the show, 

painting with his voice to create 

rich soundscapes and sublime 

grooves. Distributed by Vitamin, 

Out Of The Loop is available now 

and MR PERCIVAL is touring in 

support. www.mrpercival.com 

Sydney band RASTAWOOKIE 

are sharing their global sounds 

with their debut album Perfectly 

Ordinary. Produced by TONY 

BUCHEN (MACROMANTICS, 

BLUE KING BROWN), their 

compositions are influenced by 

music from South America, the 

Caribbean and across the globe 

to the modern western world 

where organic meets electronic. 

Perfectly Ordinary is out now 

through MGM – check out www. 

rastawookie.com for tour dates. 

AMANDA EASTON is well known 

as the promoter of POP TARTS; 

she’s also well known 

as a session and backing 

singer, performing 

with artists such as 

POWDERFINGER, 

RICHARD CLAPTON 

& WENDY MATTHEWS. 

But she has now released 

her own second 

album of theatrical pop, 

Chanteuse. In stores nationally 

and available for download at 

www.amandaeaston.com 

Former LEFT NUT drummer 

MATT PURSELL built himself a 

studio in a rural setting outside 

Perth; taught himself a bit of 

guitar and the art of recording 

and the result is his new project – 

A BUCKET OF PUS. Raw and Sore 

is an album influenced by years of 

listening to metal, punk and great 

Australian hard rock, as well as 

playing in and watching many 

awesome local bands. www. 

myspace.com/abucketofpus 

The first song JOANNE 

MCDONNELL wrote - “Treat 

Me Good” - ended up being 

a hit for a popular Australian 

band, BACHELOR GIRL. Twelve 

months ago, McDonnell had 

a humanitarian calling. After 

researching the Darfur crisis, 

Joanne wrote “Beautiful Mother 

(Song For Darfur)” Joanne is 

selling “Beautiful Mother” on 

Broadjam and will donate all 

proceeds to Oxfam Australia’s 

Sudan appeal. See - www. 

broadjam.com/jo 

MIST & SEA is a new collaboration 

between VINCENT GIARRUSSO 

(ex-UNDERGROUND LOVERS) 

and JASON SWEENEY/CAILAN 

BURNS (of PRETTY BOY 

CROSSOVER). The debut album, 

Unless, released on Popfrenzy 

Records, features 13 new songs 

of electro pop and wall of sound 

guitars! See www.popfrenzy. 

com.au 

18

UBLISHERNEWS 

Compiled by 

Mark Eades and Anthea Sarris 

Contributions are welcome and should 

be emailed to asarris@apra.com.au 

Deadline for the December 2007 issue 

is Friday 19 October. 

> Simon Carter 

EMI Music 

Publishing Australia 

EMI Music Publishing Australia 

has signed singer/songwriter/ 

producer SIMON CARTER of 

Sydney band, THE COPS, to a 

worldwide Publishing Agreement. 

The Cops have finished their 

second album Drop it in their 

Laps which they describe as 

“a mashing of rock, funk, soul, 

electro, hip hop and pop… a 

cross-pollinating smorgasbord 

of tasty sing-along choruses, 

arse-shaking beats and whacked 

out lyrical quests”. 

All Music 

Publishing and 

Distribution (AMPD) 

Essex Music of Australia and 

Cromwell Music of Australia 

have entered into a print music 

agreement with AMPD for the 

exclusive administration of 

their print rights in Australia 

and New Zealand, commencing 

1 February 2007. 

AMPD (formerly Allans 

Publishing) will produce a series 

of print music publications 

based on the Essex and 

Cromwell catalogues, and will 

also administer licences for 

further exploitation of the print 

rights, including single sheet 

music and digital print rights. 

Print publications based on the 

Essex and Cromwell catalogues 

will be released under the new 

Sasha Music Publishing label 

which AMPD has developed for 

contemporary popular repertoire. 

Catherine Gerrard, Executive 

Director Publishing and Copyright 

of AMPD said, “We are delighted 

to represent these catalogues. It 

is a great step forward for us in 

our publishing activities which 

have been growing steadily and 

solidly for the last few years 

in the contemporary popular 

area. The catalogues are full 

of great works including many 

significant tracks from across 

the last few decades!” 

Bob Aird, who signed the deal 

as a Director of both Essex and 

Cromwell said that it is a very 

exciting opportunity to further 

expose the catalogues in print 

– both as printed books and in 

new digital exploitation avenues. 

“There are songs in these 

catalogues which are part of the 

world’s music heritage, including 

classics from Pete Seeger, Shel 

Silverstein, Marc Bolan, John 

Denver, and many others. We 

are confident that AMPD will 

introduce them to new print/ 

digital audiences with focused 

marketing and distribution”. 

Fogsongs Music 

Fogsongs Music Publishing 

has signed TRAVIS CAUDLE - 

principal song writer for Perth 

band THE WOODENELVES to a 

worldwide publishing agreement. 

Travis said; “Having Fogsongs 

on board helping us as we 

launch our first album is a 

great support, and we’re really 

excited about it. It’s given me a 

chance to further concentrate 

on songwriting and gigging with 

the band as Marshall and Paul 

help look for new opportunities 

for us in new markets.” 

Marshall Cullen MD of Fogsongs 

said “signing a Perth writer as 

talented as Travis adds the 

much needed WA location to 

our roster so that we now have 

writers signed in every state and 

territory. As we are looking at 

strong US opportunities for The 

Woodenelves material, I believe 

great things will come from our 

partnership - expect to see the 

boys on the east coast sooner 

than you think.” 

ABC 

Music Publishing 

JONAH’S ROAD writers JOHN 

KATER and ROD AULD have 

been signed to ABC Music 

Publishing – bringing with them 

their current repertoire, featured 

on the new Jonah’s Road 

album, Counting Down The Days 

(2007), and their personal and 

individual repertoires of original 

and outstanding songs. 

“The addition of Rod and 

John is a great step in further 

consolidating our roster of 

strong songwriters – I’ve always 

been very keen on Jonah’s Road 

since I first came across them, 

playing live in 2005 when they 

were nominated for Best New 

Talent and Best Vocal group/ 

Duo at the Golden Guitars. 

They’ve gone on to confirm the 

industry belief that they’re the 

contemporary country pop group 

this music has been looking out 

for. As writers, their songs are 

fresh, dynamic and very much 

new country”, said Head of ABC 

Music Publishing, Eloise Nolan. 

Songwriters, record producers 

and screen music composers 

JOHN KANE and MARK 

WALMSLEY were joint winners 

of Best Song at the 2007 JD 

Light Music Awards, for their 

song “Satellite of Love”, 

co-written with upcoming 

artist and songwriter, DIANNA 

CORCORAN. 

Kane and Walmsley are no 

strangers to the ABC – as screen 

composers they have written 

theme music and underscore 

for the Simpson le Mesurier and 

ABC TV serial drama Something 

in the Air, Dimensions, George 

Negus Tonight, Australia Wide, 

The Hopman Cup Tennis, The 

Australian Womens’ Open Golf 

and the current ABC 2 Digital TV 

station idents. Recently John and 

Mark were invited to compose 

theme music and underscore 

for the prestigious celebration of 

fifty years of ABC television, The 

ABC Of Our Lives. 

Mushroom 

Music Publishing 

Mushroom Music Publishing 

have experienced a busy and 

successful year supporting the 

international launches of LOVE 

OF DIAGRAMS, HOWLING 

BELLS, THE DRONES, JOSH 

PYKE and DEVASTATIONS, 

while somehow managing to 

find a spare hand to sign the 

next wave of talent. 

May saw the signing of ARIA 

award winning Best Female 

Artist, CLARE BOWDITCH. Next 

in line for Bowditch’s crown 

will be the recently acquired 

freshcomer songstress AMAYA 

LAURICIA whose moody and 

beautifully crafted music 

channels the brilliance of Mazzy 

Star, Neko Case and Neil 

Young. 

Mushroom also celebrated the 

signing of KID CONFUCIUS, the 

Sydney based dynamic 9-piece 

soul/hip-hop/gospel/funk/urban 

act whose nostalgic output is 

classic Detroit era Motown driven 

by African rhythmed big beats 

and angelic falsetto vocals. 

Melbourne raucous garage 

punks EDDY CURRENT 

SUPPRESSION RING will now 

be penning underground hits 

under the Mushroom banner. 

Mushroom has also picked up 

DAVE McKINNEY who produces 

funky jams and block party 

breaks as FLOW DYNAMICS. 

> Fur Patrol 

> Clare Bowditch 

> Amaya Lauricia 

> Kid Confucius 

> Eddy Current Suppression Ring 

> Flow Dynamics 

Native Tongue 

New signings: 

Singer-songwriter NED COLLETTE 

who released his debut album 

Jokes & Trials in ’06 and is now 

supporting Joanna Newsom 

and Camera Obscura in the UK 

and Europe. 

STEVE MERRY and JOEL 

BATTERSBY of the brilliant 

blues rock duo THE FUMES. 

Brothers DAN and BILL 

HAZARD of Brisbane Electro/ 

Breaks icons SOMA RASA who 

have just scored a placement in 

the forthcoming Microsoft game 

Project Gotham Racing v.4. 

Auckland bred SXSW sensation 

GASOLINE COWBOY, set to 

release their debut album Pave 

The Way this year. 

NZ Electronic trio MINUIT who 

are also releasing their debut 

Australian album in 07. 

New releases: 

Australia’s Queen of rockin’ 

blues MIA DYSON will release 

her third studio album in June. 

THE BRUNETTES are about 

release their stunning new 

album Structure & Cosmetics 

through Sub Pop in the US. 

After a short break FUR PATROL 

will release the brand new Long 

Distance Runner EP in June. 

International: 

Native Tongue has secured 

administration of the Stage 

Three Music catalogue that 

includes songs by Aerosmith, 

ZZ Top, CSS, Boy Least Likely 

To, Gerry Rafferty, David Essex, 

The Decemberists, The Subways 

and Mattafix among others. 

Synchronisation licenses 

THE DUKES “Mornin” in the 

US series Brothers & Sisters 

screening on the ABC network 

in America and the 7 Network in 

Australia. 

GASOLINE COWBOY’S “The 

Truth” in the PBS series Carrier. 

ORiGiN Music Group 

The ORiGiN Music Group have 

had an action packed 2007 to 

date with new international 

catalogues added including 

Rive Droite/Right Bank an 

independent publishing, management 

and production 

powerhouse based in Paris, 

London and Los Angeles. 

US Composer PETER WOLF has 

signed with ORiGiN Network to 

represent his compositions in 

Australia and NZ for the hit TV 

series Commissioner Rex (SBS) 

ORiGiN also now represents the 

Miami based publishing catalogues 

of Nota & J & N Publishing and 

the Music Asset Management 

Catalogue out of LA. 

New local signings for ORiGiN 

include… 

Composer/actor PAUL GODDARD 

aka COLEMAN SMITH who 

has recorded an album of 

songs, instrumental works and 

a children’s project with the 

working title of Lavender Lane. 

KRIS SCHROEDER of the 

dynamic Melbourne based band 

THE BASICS. Their new album 

Stand Out Fit In (MGM) is out now 

and the band will tour in Japan 

and the UK in September. 

Composer TIM HOPKINS who 

has returned from New Zealand 

after recording his new album 

Hear Now After. 

Melbourne based multi 

instrumentalist and composer 

JAKE MASON. Jake’s band 

COOKING ON THREE BURNERS 

has recorded a new album. 

Baked, Boiled & Fried is due for 

release in June on the No Frill 

label (Inertia) in Australia and 

Freestyle Records in the UK. 

Screen composer and 2006 APRA 

Award winner JAY STEWART 

has signed with ORiGiN for all 

international territories outside 

of Australia & NZ. 

ORiGiN Music has acquired the 

publishing rights to the music 

for CHERYL WEBB’s conceptual 

piece The Numerology Suite and 

will be assisting Cheryl to get 

the music out there. 

Bonza Music Publishing 

has entered into a worldwide 

association with ORiGiN. 

Bonza is developing a number 

of original Australian artists 

including BLACK GENIUS, 

HEIFER, HEY DA VINCI and 

MICHAEL HOPE. 

DIANA ANAID has released a 

solo acoustic album Live at the 

Bush Theatre, recorded near her 

home in northern NSW. 

> Diana Anaid 

MISHELLE BRADFORD JONES 

is recording an album with 

a new band she has formed 

with guitarist/composer PHIL 

BURTON. Nashville based NICK 

BROPHY is producing the album. 

MARK O’SHEA is in Nashville 

co-writing with DONAVAN 

CHAPMAN and GARY HANNAN. 

Mark has demoed four new songs 

with producer MARK MOFFATT. 

APRA Award winning composer 

ADRIAN VAN DE VELDE has 

made a short film titled Hero. In 

addition to writing and directing, 

the film features his own music. 

ALLAN CASWELL’s Golden 

Guitar winning duet with DREW 

McALISTER “There’s a little bit 

of country in us all” is now out 

as the new single and video from 

Allan’s Al’s Bar & Grill album. 

Flashpoint Productions 

- represented by ORiGiN 

worldwide - have completed 

the production of a great new 

album by singer songwriter 

LOUISE ANTON. The album was 

produced by HARRY VANDA with 

string arrangements by LARRY 

MUHOBERAC. 


John Chong-Nee: 2007 APRA NZ PDA Recipient 

Celebrating the craft of songwriting 

Compiled by Abbie Rutledge, Communications and Events Coordinator APRA New Zealand 

> John Chong-Nee. Photo > TOPIC 

APRA NZ is proud to announce 

the recipient of the 2007 APRA NZ 

Professional Development Award 

- John Chong-Nee. 

To say John Chong-Nee has had a successful run 

would be an understatement. APRA member since 

2000, he is registered as being a writer and/or 

co-writer of over 60 works, including the 2003 Silver 

Scroll nominated I11 Semantics track ‘Highway’. 

It began in the early ‘90s with seven piece group 

Semi-MCs, out of which formed AKA Brown a duo 

with Sam Feo II. AKA Brown were picked up by UPR 

(Urban Pacifika Records), Phil Fuemana saw beyond 

John’s MCing talents and the young musician began 

his ever-blossoming career working with the likes 

of Dobbyn and Finn. Following their performance at 

the ’98 Silver Scroll Awards the AKA Brown remix 

of the iconic Dave Dobbyn track “Beside You”, 

brought Chong-Nee’s skills into the limelight and 

Dawn Raid Entertainment soon signed him up as 

their in-house producer. 

Undeniably John Chong-Nee is one of New 

Zealand’s most in demand collaborators, even 

P-Money agrees, rating him as “Australasian RnB 

producer #1 hands down”. 

His Dawn Raid production credits are literally 

a list of the ‘who’s who’ of Urban Pacific 

music - The Deceptikonz’ Elimination album, 

Mareko’s debut album White Sunday, plus 

groundbreaking compilations Southside Story 

and Str8 From Tha Streets. 

The credits don’t stop there, writing and producing 

on various other projects including - Che Fu “2 b 

Spasifik”, Ben Lummis “One Road”, PNC “Rookie 

Card”. Remixing for the likes of Katchafire and 

providing his own tracks for multi-platinum selling 

compilations Major Flavours & RnB Superclub. A 

career highlight would have to be his work on “First 

Edition” with Dei Hamo; in 2004 they achieved three 

#1 singles including the highest selling single of 

the year “We Gon’ Ride”. 

Stepping out from behind the desk and back to 

his original musical roots, John Chong-Nee finally 

released his own album Just Getting By On Love in 

2006 – producing no less than six Top 20 NZ Airplay 

chart hits. 

John’s skills have not gone unnoticed internationally 

and the PDA is going to allow him to travel to 

the United States to accept invitations of various 

writing, producing and performance collaborations. 

With his legacy of training up local musicians and 

being extremely open with his knowledge, APRA 

believe this award will not only benefit Chong-Nee 

but many New Zealand artists in the future. 

APRA presented six songwriting sessions over the Easter Long Weekend in April. 

Sessions at BluesFest and The Great Escape provided valuable opportunities to 

discuss, examine, promote and celebrate the craft of songwriting. 

BluesFest 2007 > Byron Bay 

> Paul Greene plays a Gibson Guitar 

In collaboration with BluesFest and Southern Cross University 

APRA presented three Songwriter Speaks sessions at Byron Bay 

High School. The sessions were open to APRA members and SCU 

students and featured international guest songwriter, zydeco master, 

Terrance Simien as well as home-grown artists Kevin Bennett 

(The Flood) and Paul Greene (Hirst and Greene). 

Feedback from attendees…. 

> Terrance Simien and APRA member Bonnie > Terrance Simien and The Zydeco Experience > ‘How to get a gig’ - panel discussion 

“What I enjoyed most was that the musicians and industry leaders were presented in an accessible 

light showing them for the people they are and allowing them to be accessible to myself and others.” 

“Each of the three sessions was inspiring and informative and made us aware of the opportunities 

APRA offers to artists. We have made a mental note to check the APRA website every week from here 

on in. To be able to sit with Peter Noble and Chuggy was amazing! Congratulations to all those who 

made this possible.” 

In addition, APRA and Music Bound hosted a panel discussion 

on “How to get a gig” with a focus on issues faced by Indigenous 

performers. The panel featured promoter Michael Chugg, BluesFest 

organiser Peter Noble, Glenn Wright from Vitamin Records and 

Indigenous songwriters/performers Troy n Trevelyn. 

The Great Escape > Newington Armory, 

Sydney Olympic Park 

> Dan Kelly, Bow Campbell and Melanie Horsnell > Carlo and Natalie from Blue King Brown 

Songwriter Speaks sessions were held each afternoon of 

The Great Escape Festival, in the Mess Hall at Newington Armory, 

Sydney Olympic Park. 

The first session featured indie soul favourite, Dan Kelly and 

NuFolk songwriter Melanie Horsnell; then Blue King Brown’s 

Carlo Santone and Natalie Pa’Apa’A discussed their unique fusion 

of soul, percussive rhythm, sweet melodies and political lyrics in 

the second session; and finally, eclectic storyteller and composer 

of bold pop songs, Darren Hanlon and ARIA Nominee Holly 

Throsby lead the third. 

In spite of the cold and blustery conditions, the energy of the festival 

flowed into the Mess Hall with over 80 people attending each session. 

All sessions covered a diverse range of topics including: song writing 

techniques – how to take an idea and develop it into something 

that can be performed or recorded; co-writing - how it works, and 

sometimes doesn’t; as well discussions on the creative evolution 

of particular songs. Several of the songwriters treated the audience 

to live acoustic performances. The audiences in return were highly 

responsive and enthusiastic 

during the Q&A component. 

Photos > Edwina Pickles 


APRA has a regular, annual program of Songwriter Speaks sessions. 

Check the website www.apra.com.au for details of sessions near you.

Glenn Shorrock 

“As well as reminding me of my youthful attractiveness 

this photo brings back memories of two fine gentlemen in 

particular our great former chairman, Ted Albert.” 

Snapped at the Sydney Hilton: Glenn Shorrock (left), and 

Hal David (right), presented Board Chairman and head of 

J. Albert & Son, Ted Albert (centre), with the first of two 

gold awards at the inaugural APRA Music Awards in 1982. 

Alberts won the awards on behalf of songwriters Harry 

Vanda and George Young, for “Love is in the Air”; and Bon 

Scott, Angus and Malcolm Young for “Highway to Hell”. 

MOMENTS 

IN MUSIC 

By Glenn Shorrock 

Where it all began – 

the first ever APRA Music 

Awards 1982 

Have you 

got a photograph 

that captures a 

moment in music? 

Send your 

submission 

with 250 

words on why 

it’s special to 

asarris@apra.com.au 

and it could 

appear on the 

back of the 

next Aprap. 

Design: Elastik Printing: No Time To Lose ©2007 Australasian Performing Right Association Ltd, Sydney, Australia. Print Post No: 55003/02262 ISSN: 1441-4910. Printed on environmentally friendly paper using soy-based inks. 

Box 6315, Wellesley St, Auckland 1141, New Zealand. The opinions expressed in articles in Aprap are not necessarily those of the Australasian Performing Right Association. Editor: Anthea Sarris asarris@apra.com.au 

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EMI Songs Australia Pty Ltd, Ian James Mushroom Music Pty Ltd, Peter Karpin BMG Music Publishing, Fifa Riccobono J Albert & Son, Damian Trotter Sony/ATV Music Publishing Chief Executive: Brett Cottle LLB Director 

Arthur Baysting [New Zealand], Eric McCusker, Richard Meale LLD AM MBE, Jenny Morris, Chris Neal, Michael Perjanik [Chairman] Publisher directors: Robert Aird Universal Music Publishing Pty Ltd, John Anderson 

APRA is an association of composers, authors and publishers of music in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific having affiliations with similarly constituted organisations around the world. Writer directors:

CeLeBRATING 25 YEARS Of THe APRA MUSIC AWARDS

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