ACMF National Songwriting Competition - Winners Announcement

Judging is complete, and the results are in for the Australian Children’s Music Foundation’s (ACMF) National Song writing Competition 2019.

Now in its 17th year, the competition has inspired over 28,000 students across Australia to put pen to paper, and enter their original song composition.

ACMF CEO and Founder, Don Spencer OAM says, “Song writing is a highly creative process. We want children to free their imagination, and engage with learning in a fun way.”

With four categories, and two exciting new awards for students from Year 4 to Year 12 to enter — the calibre, content, and talent behind the songs continue to astound its panel of judges.

This year saw the introduction of two new awards: APRA AMCOS Young Song writer of the Year; and Song writing School of the Year. The ACMF are thrilled by the on-going commitment from APRA AMCOS to encourage young song writers. With the introduction of Song writing School of the Year, the ACMF give school students the opportunity to work together collaboratively as an ensemble, band or year group - building morale, encouraging team work, creativity, and sense of school community.

The judging panel met at APRA AMCOS’ Sydney office this month to review over 80 songs, shortlisted from thousands of submissions nationally. Judges assessed various aspects of each song, including their lyrics, melody, song structure, and originality.

The 2019 competition is sponsored by supporting partners: APRA AMCOS, AMPAL, and oOh! Media. Winners will receive substantial prize money to be put towards music education, tuition and more.

For a full list of winners for 2019 and to hear their entries, see the ACMF website here.

Winners announced for the 2019 APRA Silver Scroll Awards

Aldous Harding (Hannah Topp) (published by Native Tongue Music Publishing) has won the 2019 APRA Silver Scroll Award for her remarkable song The Barrel at a ceremony in Auckland on Wednesday 2 October.

Harding is a second time finalist and was delighted to win the Silver Scroll for the first time.

The Silver Scroll Award, which is voted for by APRA members, is an acknowledgment from Harding’s fellow songwriters of the impact her songwriting has.

Jaime Gough, Managing Director of Native Tongue Music Publishing Australia said:

“Congratulations to Hannah on winning the Silver Scroll. It really is a privilege to work with Hannah and her amazing songs. Songs that are genre defying. New songs that sound like classics. Their intelligence and authenticity creep into your ears, not to be forgotten.

Hannah is a unique artist and a worthy winner of this great award.

Thanks to the wonderful team at Native Tongue. Independent publishing is a challenging business in New Zealand, yet we are rewarded every day by the sheer talent displayed by songwriters and artists and the music created.

Thanks to APRA AMCOS and everyone that supports music and the arts".

The winners of all awards were:

APRA Silver Scroll: Hannah Topp aka Aldous Harding – The Barrel (published by Native Tongue Music Publishing)

APRA Maioha Award: Tyna Keelan, Angelique Te Rauna and Matauranga Te Rauna – Ka Ao

SOUNZ Contemporary Award: Michael Norris – Sama Violin Concerto

APRA Best Original Music in a Series: Karl Steven – The Bad Seed

APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film: Mike Newport – Mega Time Squad

Hall of Fame: Ruru Karaitiana, Pixie Williams, and Jim Carter

For more information, see http://apraamcos.co.nz/news/2019/october/2019-silver-scroll-award-winners-announced/

Bob Aird to step down from the AMPAL Board, receives the AMPAL Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music Publishing

Bob Aird

At a 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, have presented the AMPAL Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music Publishing to retiring AMPAL Board Director, Bob Aird. The award recognises Mr Aird’s commitment to the Australian and New Zealand music publishing sector, his work on behalf of songwriters and composers over many years, and Mr Aird’s service to the AMPAL Board. Mr Aird joined the AMPAL Board of Directors in 1986, and recently retired as Managing Director of Universal Music Publishing Pty Limited. Mr Aird will be stepping down from the AMPAL Board at the upcoming Annual General Meeting in November.

Mr Capper remarked that, "It has been such a great privilege to work with Bob. He has always been a strong, vocal, supporter of the incredible music coming out of Australia and New Zealand, and our industry owes him a debt of gratitude. His acumen, and wit, will be sorely missed”. Mr Hodson added, “It has been an honour to have worked with Bob both as a colleague and board member over many years. Bob has been at the forefront of the enormous changes that we’ve seen in music publishing, and particularly in copyright protection for publishers and songwriters. His leadership in this area is undeniable”. Mr O'Sullivan commented at the ceremony, "AMPAL is grateful for Bob’s vast contribution to the AMPAL Board, and dedication to Australian and New Zealand music publishers, and their songwriter and composer partners. Bob’s retirement will be a great loss to AMPAL and the industry more broadly". Mr Aird commented, “It has been a privilege to be part of the AMPAL Board which has been so successful in promoting and protecting the rights of Australian and New Zealand music publishers, and the songwriters and composers they represent.  We really have made a difference. Long may it continue”.

It is only the third time that the AMPAL Board has presented the Award, following the presentation in 2016 to founding AMPAL member J. Albert & Son Pty Ltd (Alberts), and the presentation in 2018 to Brett Cottle AM.

2019 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition winners announced

The 2019 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition has awarded the top prize to songwriters Matt Corby and Dann Hume for the emotive and richly melodic song ‘Miracle Love.’

Courtesy of APRA AMCOS, Alberts and BMG, Corby and Hume will share the $50,000 cash prize, the largest first place prize for any songwriting competition in the world.

Upon winning, songwriter and producer Hume said, "This song was a special one for Matt and I, one of the first songs we wrote together after a few years between his albums. No idea what would come, when it was finished it felt like it had always existed and we just happen to find it buried in the backyard studio of his house.”

The competition’s $10,000 2nd place prize, provided by AMPAL, goes to Grammy-nominated, LA-based songwriter and 2019 APRA Songwriter of the Year honouree Sarah Aarons for her entry ‘The Middle,’ a worldwide smash performed by Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey.

In 3rd place and the winner of $5,000 courtesy of Aon is Brisbane’s Sahara Beck with ‘Here We Go Again’ a song the award-winning independent artist wrote with producer Tony Buchen.

In the second year that the $5,000 Unpublished prize has been awarded, 21-year old Melbourne singer-songwriter Kaiit takes out the honour for ‘Miss Shiney,’ which she co-wrote with Michael Lee Chan, Mohamed Komba, Vincent Goodyer and Nicholas Martin.

The winning songs were narrowed down from the top 40 finalist shortlist and an overall pool of 3,683 entries from 48 countries, by a panel of songwriters and music industry judges from media, publishing, labels, and music streaming services. See full judging list here.

In 2019, songwriters worldwide collectively raised $184,150 for Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia (NRMTA) via their $50 entry fee per song.

All money raised goes directly to fund the organisation’s transformative programs, and in ten years of the competition’s existence, entrants have contributed over $1.2 million.

Named after the iconic songwriters and founding members of The Easybeats, Harry Vanda and the late George Young, the competition raises funds for NRMTA and its work with children and adults with physical and intellectual disabilities, autism, trauma, illness, dementia, behaviour disorders and learning difficulties.

AMPAL is proud to once again sponsor the 2019 competition.

For more details and to hear the winning songs, go to the APRA AMCOS website here.

2019 Art Music Awards Finalists Announced

The 2019 Art Music Award finalists have been announced by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre.

The finalists celebrate achievements in Australian contemporary classical, jazz and experimental music. The quantity, the quality and the variety of projects and works included makes a powerful statement about the rich range of talent and the sheer volume of creative work by today’s Australian art music practitioners.

Categories recognising excellence by individuals, organisations and educators, excellence in the areas of experimental music and in jazz, and in regional areas, include a wide range of projects, from local to regional and national.

The Art Music Awards winners in eleven national categories, as well as state or territory awards, will be announced on Monday 19 August at the Great Hall of the University of Sydney, with a live performance program curated by composer-pianist Barney McAll. MC extraordinaire Jonathan Biggins will return as the evening’s host.

For the list of finalists visit the APRA AMCOS website here.

New research highlights Australian music's global export value and strong international success

The Australian music industry makes an estimated $195 million from international markets each year according to a ground-breaking report examining the cultural and economic value of Australian music exports. including music publishing.

Born Global: Australian music exports is the first comprehensive report that calculates the value of the Australian music industry as an international export.

The research was conducted over three years by the University of Newcastle and Monash University, in partnership with Sounds Australia, APRA AMCOS and the Australia Council for the Arts.

The Australia Council has also released a summary report which presents key insights from the broader research and reflects international success stories of artists such as Flume, All Our Exes Live in Texas, Methyl Ethel and Courtney Barnett.

For more information and to read the summary and full report, see the Australia Council for the Arts website here.

Australian and New Zealand music publishing industry valued at more than AUD$270 million

The 2018 survey of AMPAL members has valued the Australian and New Zealand music publishing industry at just over AUD$270 million for the year. The survey included data from the industry collecting society APRA AMCOS, but it only related to royalties flowing through to music publishing companies and did not include royalties paid directly to songwriters and composers. AMPAL members provided confidential information to auditors Rosenfeld Kant who aggregated the data.

AMPAL Director Ian James honoured in 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours List

Ian James

AMPAL Director Ian James (Mushroom Music Publishing) has been awarded a Medal (OAM) in the General Division in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for service to music publishing and rights.

Also honoured was former AMPAL Director Fifa Riccobono, who was named as a Member (AM) in the General Division for significant service to the music industry.

Congratulations to Ian and Fifa!

ACMF National Songwriting Competition now open

The 2019 National Songwriting Competition is now open for entries!

Every year, students from schools across Australia are invited to put pen to paper and enter their original song in ACMF’s annual National Songwriting Competition. Winners receive prize-money which can be allocated towards musical equipment or tuition.

For 2019, the competition has had some changes – there are fewer categories in which to enter, which means that the prizes are more substantial. We have also introduced the ability to enter a song as a school group, which has its own prize category – enabling the winning school to purchase valuable resources to improve their music program!

“Songwriting is a highly creative process. We want kids to free their imagination and engage with learning in a fun way” – Don Spencer, Founder & CEO.

AMPAL is pleased to again be sponsoring the National Songwriting Competition.  AMPAL General Manager, Matthew O'Sullivan, remarked that "AMPAL is proud to support the ACMF National Songwriting Competition, encouraging budding songwriters. We look forward to hearing the great new songs at the end of the competition.”

Entry is free, and entries close 29 August 2019. Entry forms and other information is available at: http://acmf.com.au/national-songwriting-competition/ 

APRA Music Award Winners Announced

The 2019 APRA Music Awards have been announced, at a ceremony held at Melbourne Town Hall.

Melbourne-born, LA-based songwriting superstar Sarah Aarons (Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is the 2019 APRA Songwriter of the Year, a strong follow-up to her Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year honour in 2018. This award recognises a songwriter that has achieved the most impressive body of work in the previous 12 months. Sarah’s past 12 months have been nothing short of exceptional, with her writing songs for or with Camila Cabello, Galantis, Khalid, Dua Lipa, Lykke Li, Demi Lovato, Mabel, Peking Duk and Jessie Ware among others.

It was third time lucky for Amy Shark (Mushroom Music obo UNIFIED Music Publishing), whose song I Said Hi has been named by APRA members as the Peer-Voted APRA Song of the Year. Including this year, Amy has been nominated in that category for the last three consecutive APRA Music Awards and has now achieved the top honour with her song that reflects the ups and downs of the music industry. I Said Hi is also Pop Work of the Year. 

The full list of winners follows. Congratulations to all winning AMPAL members and their songwriter and composer partners!

Peer-Voted APRA Song of the Year
Title: I Said Hi                               
Artist: Amy Shark                
Writer: Amy Shark    
Publishers: Mushroom Music obo UNIFIED Music Publishing         

Songwriter of the Year 
Writer: Sarah Aarons
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing

Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year
Writer: Dean Lewis                       
Publishers: Kobalt Music Publishing obo Specific Music 

Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music
Rob Potts

Overseas Recognition Award
Lindsay Rimes
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing

Outstanding International Achievement Award
Title: Youngblood 
Artist: 5 Seconds of Summer
Writers: Luke Hemmings / Calum Hood / Ashton Irwin / Ali Tamposi* / Louis Bell / Andrew Watt^
Publishers: Sony/ATV Music Publishing / Mushroom Music* / Kobalt Music Publishing^

Outstanding International Achievement Award
Title: Be Alright                             
Artist: Dean Lewis              
Writers: Dean Lewis / Jon Hume* 
Publishers: Kobalt Music Publishing obo Specific Music / Sony/ATV Music Publishing* 

Most Played Australian Work 
Title: The Middle              
Artist: Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey   
Writers: Sarah Aarons / Jordan Johnson* / Stefan Johnson^ / Marcus Lomax* / Kyle Trewartha+ / Michael Trewartha+ / Anton Zaslavski+            
Publishers: Sony/ATV Music Publishing / BMG Rights Management* / Kobalt Music Publishing^ / Universal/MCA Music Publishing+

Dance Work of the Year
Title: The Middle              
Artist: Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey   
Writers: Sarah Aarons / Jordan Johnson* / Stefan Johnson^ / Marcus Lomax* / Kyle Trewartha+ / Michael Trewartha+ / Anton Zaslavski+            
Publishers: Sony/ATV Music Publishing / BMG Rights Management* / Kobalt Music Publishing^ / Universal/MCA Music Publishing+

Rock Work of the Year
Title:  Never Ever                          
Artist:  The Rubens feat. Sarah                    
Writers:  Sarah Aarons / Elliott Margin* / Sam Margin*        
Publishers:  Sony/ATV Music Publishing / Mushroom Music obo Ivy League Music*    

Pop Work of the Year
Title: I Said Hi                  
Artist: Amy Shark                
Writer: Amy Shark    
Publishers: Mushroom Music obo UNIFIED Music Publishing 

Urban Work of the Year
Title:  Clark Griswold                                
Artist:  Hilltop Hoods feat. Adrian Eagle            
Writers:  DJ Debris (Barry Francis)* / MC Pressure (Daniel Smith)* / Suffa (Matthew Lambert)* / John Bartlett / Paul Bartlett     
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing*

Country Work of the Year
Title: Day Drunk                            
Artist: Morgan Evans             
Writers: Morgan Evans / Chris DeStefano* / Lindy Robbins^            
Publishers: Warner/Chappell Music / Sony/ATV Music Publishing* / Kobalt Music Publishing^     

Blues & Roots Work of the Year
Title: Chateau                                                    
Artist: Angus & Julia Stone             
Writers: Angus Stone / Julia Stone 
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing 

Most Played Australian Work Overseas  
Title: Cheap Thrills 
Artist: Sia
Writers: Sia Furler / Greg Kurstin 
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing

Licensee of the Year
Clancy’s Fish Pub, WA. 

International Work of the Year
Title: Perfect                                 
Artist: Ed Sheeran              
Writer: Edward Sheeran           
Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing 

For more information, see: http://apraamcos.com.au/news/2019/april/sarah-aarons-takes-home-four-apra-music-awards-and-amy-shark-says-hi-to-the-peer-voted-apra-song-of-the-year/

Deadline extended for entries to the 2019 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition!

The deadline for entries to the 2019 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition has been extended to 2 May. AMPAL is proud to be sponsoring the Competition again in 2019.

The Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition is one of the world’s most prestigious songwriting competitions. It aims to support talented songwriters while raising much-needed funds for not-for-profit organisation Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia (NRMTA).

With thanks to Alberts, BMG and APRA AMCOS, this year’s winning songwriter/s will take home a cash prize of A$50,000 and join the eminent company of past winners Megan Washington (2009), Kimbra (2011), The Preatures (2013), Husky Gawenda (2014), Gretta Ray (2016) and Amy Shark (2018).

Two runners up cash prizes are also on offer with second place receiving A$10,000 thanks to AMPAL and third place taking home A$5,000 thanks to AON. An ‘Unpublished’ prize of A$5,000 is also up for grabs.

This is a global competition open to all songwriters – published or unpublished.

For more information, and to enter, see http://apraamcos.com.au/vandayoungsongcomp/.

2019 APRA Music Awards nominations announced

The nominations have been announced for the 2019 APRA Music Awards, the annual event that celebrates excellence in contemporary music and honours songwriters and music publishers that have achieved outstanding success in their fields.

In a category that is 100% determined by APRA songwriter and publisher members, the final five contenders for the prestigious Peer-Voted APRA Song of the Year can now be revealed.

Joel Ma (Joelistics) (Mushroom Music) and first-time nominees Mojo Juju and Rita Seumanutafa are nominated for Native Tongue, performed by Mojo Juju. Another songwriter receiving her first nomination is Angie McMahon (Kobalt Music Publishing), who secured peer support for her song Slow Mover. McMahon just took out the prestigious SXSW Grulke Prize for developing artists at the annual US music conference. Receiving back-to-back nods in the Song of the Year category is Ainslie Wills (Sony/ATV Music Publishing), who with co-writers Bram Inscore (Kobalt Music Publishing) and MoZella (Sony/ATV Music Publishing), has been nominated for Society, a track written at SongHubs The Tower in 2017. Last year’s Song of the Year recipient and songwriting luminary Paul Kelly (Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is nominated for With the One I Love, the first single from his recent LP, Nature. And appearing for the third consecutive year in the Song of the Year category is Amy Shark (Mushroom Music obo UNIFIED Music Publishing), this time with I Said Hi, a punchy, melodic anthem which was the lead track from Shark’s debut chart-topping album Love Monster.

Leading all contenders is last year’s Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year, Sarah Aarons (Sony/ATV Music Publishing Allegro), with four nominations. Aarons continues to consolidate her reputation as a global hit-maker, thanks to high-profile collaborations with Peking Duk, The Rubens and co-writing credits on the Zedd worldwide smash Stay, and the Grammy-nominated The Middle. Amy Shark and 2019 Young Australian of the Year Danzal Baker, professionally known as Baker Boy, have three nominations a-piece.

Featuring a dynamic group of emerging songwriters that are having huge success both here and abroad are the five nominees for the Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year. They are hip-hop standout Danzal Baker (Baker Boy), global sensation Dean Lewis (Kobalt Music Publishing obo Specific Music), multi-talented drummer-singer-songwriter Georgia Flipo (G Flip) (Kobalt Music Publishing obo Future Classic), Holly Rankin (Mushroom Music), who writes and performs as the psych-pop solo artist Jack River, and Tash Sultana (Kobalt Music Publishing obo Tash Sultana), an explosive live artist who has commanded global attention and continues to sell out major arenas around the world. The winner will be determined by the APRA Board of Directors.

The 2019 APRA Music Awards will be presented on Tuesday 30 April at Melbourne Town Hall.

For the full list of nominations, see: http://apraamcos.com.au/news/2019/march/sarah-aarons-leads-an-all-star-line-up-of-songwriters-in-2019-apra-music-awards-noms/.

Congratulations to all nominees!

New Sounds Australia subsidy for AMPAL Members to register for MIDEM

Sounds Australia and AMPAL are pleased to announce a new subsidy for AMPAL members registering for MIDEM 2019 to assist with the costs for publishers to attend the event.

Sounds Australia will provide a total subsidy pool of AUD$5,000, to be split equally amongst AMPAL member companies who register for and attend MIDEM. The payments will be made to AMPAL members at the conclusion of the conference.

MIDEM is a leading music industry conference and event held annually in Cannes, France. The 2019 event will be held from 4 - 7 June.

For more information and to apply, please contact AMPAL at info@ampal.com.au.

For information on MIDEM 2019, see https://www.midem.com/.

For information on Sounds Australia, see http://www.soundsaustralia.com.au/.

2019 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition now open

The 2019 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition is now open for entries. Songwriters from around the world are invited to enter the competition.

The first-place cash prize of A$50,000 is the biggest of any songwriting comeptition in the world, and is courtesy of APRA AMCOS, Alberts and BMG.

AMPAL is proud to once again sponsor the second place price of A$10,000, with third place receiving A$5,000.   

And back again is the 'Unpublished' category, which comes with A$5,000 cash for the winner .

APRA Music Award winner Amy Shark won the 2018 first place prize with her song Adore, the breakthrough single that propelled her to a debut #1 ARIA album with Love Monster, sold-out arena tours and international TV performances. "Adore connected with fans in a magical way and opened so many doors for me. Winning the Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition was an incredible honour and helped me fund the next phase of my career," said Amy.   

Last year's competition brought in an all-time high 4,056 entries from 3,296 songwriters in 30 countries. And in the decade since the first Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition was won by Megan Washington, songwriters have helped raise over A$1 million to help fund the important work of Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia (NRMTA). 

100% of the $50 per song entry fee goes to supporting NRMTA's programs, which use music therapy to help children and adults cope with the struggles of living with a wide range of needs due to physical and intellectual disabilities, autism, trauma, illness, dementia, behaviour disorders and learning difficulties. 

A judging panel of 64 influential artists, producers, media and music industry professionals have come on board, including award-winning songwriter Lior, previous Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition first-place winner Isabella Manfredi of The Preatures, triple j Unearthed's Dave Ruby Howe, and producer Franc Tetaz. 

Founding partner, David Albert, Chief Executive of Alberts said: "Alberts is proud to be once again presenting the 2019 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition in conjunction with partners APRA AMCOS and BMG. Now in its 10th year, this wonderful initiative continues to support the vital services provided by Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia while recognising the legacy of Harry Vanda and the late George Young." 

Matthew O'Sullivan, General Manager of AMPAL said: “AMPAL is extremely proud to again support the 2019 Vanda & Young Global Songwriting Competition to recognise ad celebrate exceptional songwriting, while also contributing to the vital work of Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Australia.”

Entries close 12 April 2019, with the winners announced in July.

For more information and entry details, go to: http://apraamcos.com.au/vandayoungsongcomp/ 

Enrol today for free copyright history course from CISAC and FutureLearn, starting March 18th

Discover more about creative and cultural industries over the centuries in “Exploring Copyright”, the free online course from CISAC and FutureLearn. Learners from over 160 countries have participated on the journey from Gutenberg to the digital era.

“Exploring Copyright” is a four-week online course examining how creators and authors earned their protections to receive remuneration for their works. It also examines how authors’ rights contributed to economic growth and international trade. You will also learn how changing technologies have influenced authors and efforts in receiving remuneration over the course of history. 

The course, commissioned by CISAC, is led by professor, copyright lawyer and former UBC Executive Director Marisa Gandelman.  

Whether you are a creative professional, author or just curious about culture, the MOOC is made for you. Enrolment for this version of the CISAC and FutureLearn course is now open in English.

The course begins March 18th, 2019. Use #FLexplorecopyright to engage with learners from throughout the world.

For more information and to enrol, visit http://www.cisac.org/Newsroom/Articles/Enroll-today-for-free-copyright-history-course-from-CISAC-and-FutureLearn-starting-March-18th?fbclid=IwAR2LAWLI6f2jHt4dMTuSJi-lhdqoPS_SjauHFgg0KvqYNqUs5jnDnWXD7uU.

APRA Song of the Year shortlist revealed

The shortlisted challengers for the title of Peer-Voted APRA Song of the Year have been announced. Dean Lewis, Courtney Barnett, A.B. Original’s Adam Briggs and Daniel Rankine, Amy Shark, Sarah Aarons - who is also nominated for the Grammy Song of the Year for her shortlisted work The Middle - and Young Australian of the Year Danzal Baker (Baker Boy) are among the songwriters shortlisted for the coveted APRA Song of the Year. This award is 100% determined by APRA songwriter and publisher members, and is the biggest peer-voted music award in Australia.

The list of contenders also features songs by fresh faces including Mojo Juju, Kaiit, The Teskey Brothers and Ziggy Alberts, who appear on the list alongside experimental jazz legends The Necks plus Suze DeMarchi and Dave Leslie of Baby Animals, The Living End, John Butler and 2018 APRA Song of the Year co-winner Paul Kelly.

The final five nominees will be revealed in March and the winner announced at the 2019 APRA Music Awards when they return to Melbourne on Tuesday 30 April. The 2019 awards will be the first to be staged under new APRA AMCOS Chief Executive Dean Ormston.

For the full shortlist, see: http://apraamcos.com.au/news/2019/february/peer-voted-apra-song-of-the-year-shortlist-revealed/.

Congratulations to all writers and publishers!

AMPAL 2018 AGM and Board Elections Results

The Australasian Music Publishers’ Association (AMPAL) has held its Annual General Meeting on 21 November. AMPAL General Manager Matthew O’Sullivan spoke about the organisation’s work throughout the year on behalf of the association's Australian and New Zealand music publisher members and their songwriter and composer partners.  Amongst the key issues raised, Mr O’Sullivan welcomed AMPAL’s engagement with the current Parliamentary inquiry into the Australian music industry.

Also at the AGM, Bob Aird (Universal Music Publishing Group), Matthew Donlevy (Frankdon Music Pty Ltd), Jane English (Music Sales), Simon Moor (Kobalt Music Group), and Philip Walker (Origin Music Group) were declared as re-elected to the AMPAL Board.

Nominations had also been received from Bernard Depasquale (Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB)), Karen Hamilton (120 Publishing), Rachel Kelly (Downtown Music Publishing), Jess Ossington (Audio Network), and Gary Seeger (peermusic).

Matthew Capper (Warner/Chappell Music Australia) was returned as Chair, and Clive Hodson (Perfect Pitch Publishing) as Deputy Chair of the Board.

Mr Capper and Mr O’Sullivan congratulated the re-elected directors, and thanked all of the nominees for standing for election, noting the strong interest in the operations of the association.

AMPAL is the industry association for Australasian music publishers with over 55 members, and is governed by a Board of 15 elected member representatives.  The AMPAL Board is elected by the AMPAL membership, and the current Board is shown at: www.ampal.com.au/ampal-board/.

2018 National Songwriting Competition Winners

The winners of the 2018 Australian Children’s Music Foundation National Songwriting Competition have been announced. Congratulations to all of the winners and finalists, and thank you to all of the fantastic entrants in the competition. Since its inception, over 30,000 songs have been written for the Competition!

To view the list of winners and listen to the songs, see: http://acmf.com.au/nsc-2018-winners/.

AMPAL is proud to support the work of the ACMF.

2018 Screen Music Award Winners Announced

Australian screen music and film luminaries have gathered for the annual Screen Music Awards to celebrate the composers that made an impact in the previous year. The event, staged jointly by APRA AMCOS and the AGSC (Australian Guild of Screen Composers) was held at the City Recital Hall in Sydney and paid tribute to screen composers across 12 categories who impressed an independent panel of judges with their work across TV, online, film and advertising. 
 
Screen composer Caitlin Yeo has taken out the Feature Film Score of the Year for her original score for The Butterfly Tree, a movie about an ex-burlesque queen (Evelyn) who puts a curse on single dad Al and his son Fin. The film’s soundtrack has earned Yeo a second Screen Music Award for 2018, in the category of Best Soundtrack Album. She has previously won Feature Film Score of the Year for The Rocket in 2013. It was a special evening for Yeo, who also attended in her capacity as President of the AGSC. 
 
Matteo Zingales has also received two Screen Music Awards - the first for Harrow, in the category of Best Television Theme. The second is for his collaboration with fellow screen composer Antony Partos. Together they have scored the award for Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie for the acclaimed ABC television series Mystery Road.
 
Celebrated film and television screen composer Nerida Tyson-Chew has won a gong in the category of Best Music for Children’s Television for her work on children’s animated television series The Deep (for the episode The Missing). Father and son composers Cezary and Jan Skubiszewski, who teamed up to create the driving music for the Picnic at Hanging Rock reboot (and published by BMG Rights Management obo Fremantle Media), have taken out the award for Best Music for a Television Series or Serial. This is the second time the duo has won an award in this category, winning in 2014 for Serangoon Road.
 
Tonight’s festivities introduced a new guard of composers with four first-time winners. The Best Music for a Documentary honour has gone to Perth-based musician and composer Sean Tinnion, who dazzled judges with his score for the ABC’s A Stargazer’s Guide to the Cosmos, delivering him his first win. Also scoring his first Screen Music Award win is Adrian Sergovich, whose formidable score for Screen Australia’s Lost and Found has generated praise around the globe. It has now landed him the award for Best Music for a Short Film.
 
First-time nominee Oscar Joe Gross (published by ABC Music Publishing) became a first-time winner with Now I Know from ABC drama Pulse, receiving the award for Best Original Song Composed for the Screen. Fellow debut nominee also collecting his first Screen Awards trophy is composer Jackson Milas, who has won the award for Best Music for an Advertisement for his music for the catchy Forty Winks campaign.
 
Long-time collaborators Dinesh Wicks and Adam Gock were named Most Performed Screen Composers – Australia; while 13 was certainly not an unlucky number for composer Neil Sutherland who is the Most Performed Screen Composer – Overseas for the 11th consecutive year, taking his overall tally of Screen Music Awards to 13. The world over hears Neil’s signature work in the long-running MythBusters series.
 
Producer and Director Robert Connolly, this year’s recipient of the Distinguished Services to Australian Screen Award, was presented with his honour by composer Nigel Westlake who composed the original score for Paper Planes. “You would be hard pressed to find another individual who has given voice to the artistry of so many Australian composers, a man who has nurtured our community and provided the resources for our local talent to shine and realise their craft so thoroughly and with absolute integrity. The opportunity to work with Rob on Paper Planes was a highlight of my career. He is a filmmaker of the utmost integrity, a storyteller of immense facility, and has always believed in the power of cinema as a force for good,” said Westlake.
 
Westlake was joined by co-composer Lior (with special guest Jonathan Zwartz on double bass) to perform Ma Wadani Ahadun (Until the End of Time) from Ali's Wedding. Performing a musical tribute to Connolly was Jared Underwood (drums), Musical Director Jessica Wells on piano, Damian de Boos-Smith (guitar), Julian Langdon (keyboard) and Jonathan Zwartz for their rendition of The Boys II and Fife & Drum composed by The Necks from Connolly’s landmark film The Boys.
 
Singer/songwriter Ajak Kwai closed proceedings with Majokdit and Tita from the SBS television series Sunshine. And Musical Director Wells led an orchestra that provided beautiful renditions of the nominated Feature Film Score of the Year works throughout the ceremony. 
 
The Awards were hosted by dynamo Denise Scott, who was joined by presenters Gillian Armstrong, Marcus Graham, The Hon. Don Harwin MLC, Minister for Resources, Energy & Utilities and the Arts, Lynette Curran, Clayton Jacobson, and Kim Gyngell. 

Congratulations to all nominees and winners!

WINNERS 2018 SCREEN MUSIC AWARDS
 
Distinguished Services to the Australian Screen Award*
 
Robert Connolly
 
Feature Film Score of the Year
 
Title                             The Butterfly Tree
Composed by              Caitlin Yeo
 
Best Television Theme
 
Title                            Harrow
Composed by            Matteo Zingales
Published by              Sonar Music
 
Best Music for a Television Series or Serial
 
Title                           Picnic at Hanging Rock 
Composed by           Cezary Skubiszewski and Jan Skubiszewski

Published by BMG Rights Management obo Fremantle Media
 
 
Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie
 
Title                             Mystery Road
Composed by             Antony Partos and Matteo Zingales 
Published by               Sonar Music 
 
Best Music for a Documentary
 
Title                              A Stargazer's Guide to the Cosmos
Composed by              Sean Tinnion

Best Music for a Short Film
 
Title                             Lost and Found
Composed by             Adrian Sergovich
 
Best Soundtrack Album
 
Title                             The Butterfly Tree
Composed by             Caitlin Yeo
 
Best Original Song Composed for the Screen
 
Title                             Now I Know from Pulse
Composed by             Oscar Joe Gross
Published by               ABC Music Publishing
 
Best Music for Children’s Television
 
Title                             The Deep: The Missing
Composed by             Nerida Tyson-Chew
 
Best Music for an Advertisement
 
Title                             Forty Winks
Composed by             Jackson Milas
Published by               Sonar Music
 
Most Performed Screen Composer – Australia**
 
Composers: Dinesh Wicks and Adam Gock
 
Most Performed Screen Composer – Overseas**
 
Composer: Neil Sutherland
  
*Distinguished Services to the Australian Screen Award (as determined by APRA Board of Directors)
 **Determined by statistical analysis

More information: http://apraamcos.com.au/news/2018/november/2018-screen-music-awards-winners-announced/

2018 APRA Silver Scroll Winners Announced

Marlon Williams (published by Native Tongue Music Publishing) has won the 2018 APRA Silver Scroll Award for his poignant ballad Nobody Gets What They Want Anymore (feat. Aldous Harding).

Williams is a second time finalist and was thrilled to win his first scroll for a song that has such a personal story.

Williams star has been on the rise for many years, having first garnered attention in Christchurch alt-folk band The Unfaithful Ways, before partnering with first Delaney Davidson and then Tami Neilson (both former Silver Scroll nominees, also published by Native Tongue Music Publishing) on two collaborative records.

He released his first solo album in 2016 to much acclaim (including a Silver Scroll finalist spot for his song Dark Child), and significant international attention, before cementing his name as one of New Zealand’s most charismatic singers and songwriters with his second solo album Make Way For Love released earlier this year.

The Silver Scroll Award is the metaphorical cherry on top. It acknowledges excellence in songwriting and has been given to some of the most recognisable names and songs in New Zealand music during its 53 year history, from the Swingers’ ‘Counting The Beat’ and Bic Runga’s ‘Drive’ to Scribe and P Money’s ‘Not Many’.

Critically acclaimed musician and songwriter Bic Runga was the musical director of tonight’s ceremony, which saw a host of other Kiwi songwriters collect awards.

Esteemed songwriter Ria Hall, along with co-writers Tiki Taane and Te Ori Paki took the APRA Maioha Award, recognising exceptional waiata featuring te reo Māori, for their rich and heartfelt ballad Te Ahi Kai Pō. The song raises awareness of inter-generational cultural disenfranchisement and draws on Ria’s own family history.

Wellington composer Michael Norris won the SOUNZ Contemporary Award for the second time (his previous win was in 2014 for Inner Phases), with his composition Sygyt for throat singer, chamber ensemble, and live electronics. Sygyt was commissioned by contemporary ensemble Stroma to explore the interesting textures and harmonics of throat singing.

Conrad Wedde, Lukasz Buda, and Samuel Scott (published by Native Tongue Music Publishing), who are best known for their work in The Phoenix Foundation, received the APRA Best Original Music in a Series Award for their nuanced and beautiful soundtrack for Australian TV series Cleverman, a futuristic drama with roots in Aboriginal mythology.

Local luminary David Long (The Muttonbirds, Teeth, published by Native Tongue Music Publishing) won the APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film Award for his dramatic score for McLaren - the acclaimed documentary about NZ racing driver Bruce McLaren.

Rounding off the evening was the induction of Jenny Morris into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame, with a wonderful tribute to the trailblazing rock n roll icon from long-time fan Jacinda Ardern, and a performance of Break In The Weather by Ladyhawke.

AMPAL congratulates all nominees and winners including AMPAL member Native Tongue Music Publishing.

Jaime Gough, Managing Director of Native Tongue Music publishing, said: “Congratulations to Marlon, Lukasz, Samuel, Conrad and David for their Silver Scroll awards. Native Tongue would also like to congratulate Silver Scroll finalists Tami Neilson, Troy Kingi, Steve Rusch and Julia Deans. We are privileged to work with such a great roster of New Zealand talent and are proud to be part of their teams".

The winner of all awards were:

APRA Silver Scroll: Marlon Williams – Nobody Gets What They Want Anymore (feat. Aldous Harding) (published by Native Tongue Music Publishing)

APRA Maioha Award: Ria Hall, Tiki Taane, Te Ori Paki – Te Ahi Kai Pō

SOUNZ Contemporary Award: Michael Norris – Sygyt

APRA Best Original Music in a Series: Conrad Wedde, Lukasz Buda, Samuel Scott – Cleverman (published by Native Tongue Music Publishing)

APRA Best Original Music in a Feature Film: David Long – McLaren (published by Native Tongue Music Publishing)

Hall of Fame: Jenny Morris

The event was hosted by Anika Moa, and broadcast across Radio NZ’s airwaves, as well as their Facebook page and website.