At a recent presentation ceremony hosted by the AMPAL Board of Directors, the Chair of AMPAL, Matthew Capper (Warner/Chappell Music Australia), Deputy Chair, Clive Hodson (Perfect Pitch Publishing) and General Manager, Matthew O'Sullivan, presented the AMPAL Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music Publishing to Brett Cottle AM. The award recognises the immense contribution made by Mr Cottle to the Australian and New Zealand music publishing sector, and his work on behalf of songwriters and composers over many years.
Mr Cottle recently stepped down as CEO of APRA AMCOS after leading APRA since 1990 and APRA AMCOS since 1997. Mr Capper remarked that, "The music publishing industry was incredibly fortunate to have such a talented and fair-minded leader at APRA AMCOS for so many years. Brett steered the organisation into becoming the world-beating society that it is today, and his extraordinary legacy continues to be the benchmark in effective rights management". Mr O'Sullivan commented at the ceremony, "Brett has left an indelible mark on the Australasian music industry, and his vision and leadership of APRA AMCOS is respected internationally. AMPAL is extremely grateful for Brett's dedication and tremendous work on behalf of Australian and New Zealand music publishers, and their songwriter and composer partners".
It is only the second time that the AMPAL Board has presented the Award, following the presentation in 2016 to founding AMPAL member J. Albert & Son Pty Ltd (Alberts).