A win for artists, but there’s more to do on radio caps.
The Copyright Tribunal has delivered its decision on commercial radio broadcast royalties. While PPCA has secured a 38% increase (from 0.4% to 0.55% of gross revenue), the ruling makes one thing crystal clear: the arbitrary 1% statutory cap is preventing Australian artists from receiving a fair market rate for the use of their music.
The Tribunal mentioned the cap 140 times in their decision. They acknowledged radio’s promotional value has declined, that music use has expanded and, that international rates are higher. But the cap limited how far they could go.
“We cannot negotiate a fair market rate for artists while the statutory 1% cap remains in place,” said PPCA CEO Annabelle Herd. “It is now up to Government and Parliament to lift this deeply unfair and arbitrary cap.”
The new rate is backdated to July 1, 2023, which means more royalties to Australian artists and rights holders. But we’re not stopping here.
Our fight continues. The cap must go.