Background music at your LPO

As advised by POAAL in Postal News Q2 2005 (page 9), if a radio is playing background music of the LPO, the Licensee might have to pay a license fee to APRA.A fee also applies for playing of pre-recorded music, television, and music played as hold music.In all these examples the Licensee requires either permission from the copyright owner or a license from the relevant authority.The Licensee may need a licence from the PPCA in the case of playing pre-recorded music, ie CDs, tapes, etc. This is because there are at least two copyrights in any recording.The first copyright is the copyright in the song. This copyright is covered by the APRA licence. The second copyright is in the recorded version of the musical work. The PPCA grants licences for the broadcast and public performance of recordings.Both APRA and PPCA licence fees may be a tax deductible expense and the GST component an input tax credit. Consult your accountant to see whether or not you can claim the fees as a tax deduction.APRA has advised POAAL that it has written to all Licensees regarding the need for an APRA licence. Please read their letter carefully and take the matter seriously.For more information on licensing, contact:APRA - 1300 852 388 - www.apra.com.auPPCA - (02) 8569 1111 - www.ppca.com.au