AKPA has recently received a retraction and public apology from RNZRSA, regarding a notice they released in August 2016. It is an important message for all in the karaoke industry, and especially venue owners/managers, in New Zealand and Australia. Click this – RSA Apology to view the statement that appeared on the RNZRSA website up until February 2018. Since the RNZRSA statement (of August 2017), we have also had corrective statements written and published by Hospitality NZ and Clubs NZ, CLICK HERE to view.
AKPA (NZ) Ltd – Australasian Karaoke Protection Authority has been formed to help protect the karaoke industry, and to collect the karaoke producers’ portion of the karaoke public performance fee, which is then distributed to those karaoke producers who are signed with AKPA.
The karaoke producers (karaoke record labels) AKPA currently represent are: Big Hits Karaoke (AU) Capital Karaoke (AU) Chartbusters (AU) Karaoke Version (UK) Laser Direct (NZ) Sundown Karaoke (NZ) Zoom Karaoke (UK) SBI Karaoke (UK).
Here are the links to the lists of karaoke recordings (now over 95,000 karaoke tracks and growing) in the AKPA Repertoire PG1 PG2 PG3 and PG4 produced by the above karaoke producers.
In karaoke recordings, the copyright owners, include the song writers/composers AND the karaoke/sound producers. The public performance fee for the karaoke producers of karaoke recordings, has been available (for collection), since the very beginning of karaoke production, but it has not, up until now been collected.
Any venue – bar, cafe, club etc., that has an APRA/AMCOS/OneMusic public performance licence for karaoke, needs to understand that APRA/AMCOS/OneMusic only collect public performance fees for the song writers’ portion of the karaoke performance. They do not collect public performance fees for the karaoke producers of karaoke recordings.
The unauthorised reproduction, digital manipulation, public performance or broadcasting of karaoke music recordings and associated works is prohibited by law.