Mechanical royalties

While APRA can collect royalties when your music is publicly performed and broadcast, you still need to make arrangements for the collection of mechanical royalties.

Mechanical royalties are legally payable when your music is recorded on tape or CD, used in a film soundtrack or as a mobile phone ringtones or produced as sheet music. Your own recordings, as well as recordings made by other people, generate mechanical royalties. For example, if your own recordings are licensed out for use by other record companies on compilations etc you are entitled to receive royalties for these reproductions of your music.

You have several options:

• If you are published, your publisher will collect the royalties generated and forward them to you.
• If you are unpublished, then you may collect the royalties directly from whoever paid for the recording. In most cases this will be a record company.
• If you are unpublished you may also choose to join the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners' Society (AMCOS). AMCOS will then collect these royalties on your behalf.

If you're a writer who's interested in becoming an AMCOS member, you may want to read:

AMCOS: Solutions for copying music brochure
Q&A for writers considering AMCOS membership
Services provided by AMCOS to members

To join AMCOS as a writer member, complete our online application here »

For more information about APRA|AMCOS mechanical licences go to All about licences.