Music Doesn’t Just Happen: Recorded Music NZ welcomes progress on Copyright Act review

Recorded Music New Zealand has welcomed the release by the Government of the Issues Paper on the review of the Copyright Act.

“It’s an exciting time to be a music fan in New Zealand, and the music industry has been a leader in the digital environment, but for this to continue it is essential that we have fit for purpose copyright laws”, said Recorded Music NZ CEO, Damian Vaughan.

“The New Zealand music industry employs over 2000 Kiwis directly and contributes over $550 million to our GDP per year, and with artists like Lorde and Opetaia Foa’I we are making our mark globally.

“This success doesn’t just happen though. Copyright is the lifeblood of our industry, enabling recording artists and all the other Kiwis who work in the industry to be paid for their work, and supporting ongoing investment by record companies in finding and nurturing creative talent.

“For this to continue, it is essential that New Zealand has the right copyright framework.

“While the Copyright Act provides a sound framework, some key adjustments are needed to bring it into line with the reality of today’s market.

“The review provides an opportunity to do this and to make the law more robust and effective and the release of the Issues Paper is an important step in the process.

“We thank MBIE and the Minister for their work on the review to date and we look forward to working through the Issues Paper in detail and making a full submission on it.”

Recorded Music NZ last month launched a position paper setting out the New Zealand music industry’s priorities for the review.

The paper, Music Doesn’t Just Happen, outlines the vital role that a robust copyright system plays in supporting New Zealand music, the need for fair and full value to be returned to those who create and invest in music, and the key issues that need to be addressed in the review.

“Music Doesn’t Just Happen sets out a roadmap for the Government to address certain key issues, to help ensure a sustainable future for Kiwi recording artists and all those employed in our local music industry, and continued investment in developing great talent and delivering it to music fans in New Zealand and around the world”, says Vaughan.

“We have singled out four key issues that we believe need to be addressed in the review.

“We are asking the Government to ensure fair market conditions for negotiations with digital platforms, provide for effective enforcement of copyright online, harmonise New Zealand’s copyright term with that of other OECD countries and give recording artists and record companies a fair go on copyright exceptions.

“We will now be focused on engaging with the Government and other stakeholders over the review process to ensure that these priority areas are addressed and that our music industry can continue to thrive”, concluded Vaughan.

The full Recorded Music NZ paper, Music Doesn’t Just Happen can be found here.

ENDS

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