PPNZ Music Licensing

PPNZ logo

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Phonographic Performances New Zealand (PPNZ)

PPNZ is a non-profit organisation established in 1957 to administer the rights of local and international record labels and producers within the New Zealand territory. It is a division of the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand RIANZ, the trade body representing recorded copyright owners.

PPNZ is responsible for licensing and collecting income from the broadcasting and public performance of sound and video recordings. PPNZ can grant licences to any individual or business playing or using recorded music in the public arena. e.g: bars, cafes, retail shops, salons, telephone ‘on-hold’ systems, sports grounds, broadcasters, gyms, function centres and many other premises where performance of recorded music takes place.

A public performance is the playing of a sound recording or the exhibition of a music video in public (i.e. a non-domestic environment). Just because a performance is given for free, or the audience is small, or there is no admission fee, or the performance is confined to members of a club, or a limited area, it does not mean it is not a public performance.

There are two copyrights in any recording:
A: The copyright in the song, being the composition and/or lyrics. APRA (Australasian Performing Right Association) is the New Zealand songwriter association which grants licences for the broadcast and public performance rights in the musical work and distributes licence fee income to songwriters and their publishers.
B: The copyright in the recorded version of the musical work. PPNZ grants licences for the broadcast and public performance of recordings and distributes licence fee income to record labels as well as directly to registered New Zealand recording artists. The practical effect of this distinction is that the broadcast or public performance of a recording requires two licences – one from APRA and one from PPNZ.

Copyright exists in the original sound recording regardless of the physical form in which it is issued - i.e. whether as a record, compact disc, cassette, tape, DVD, VCD, MP3 or otherwise. The Copyright Act of New Zealand 1994 protects sound recordings against unauthorised copying, public performance and broadcasting. The public performance and broadcasting rights mentioned above are assigned to PPNZ by its members and PPNZ protects and exercises these rights on its members behalf.

PPNZ Awards

In 2007, PPNZ sponsored the award for Best Rock album at the Voadafone New Zealand Music Awards.

Links

Other public performance rights agencies:
Australia PPCA
Ireland PPI
United Kingdom PPL
International Federation of Phonographic Industries IFPI
List of copyright collection societies

Associated New Zealand sites:
Official RIANZ website RIANZ
Love Music website Music education website by RIANZ

References

Official PPNZ website PPNZ
The Music Universe (PDF) A pictorial guide to NZ music industry income streams