New talent joins APRA AMCOS Boards

APRA AMCOS have announced two new members to the Board of Directors today. 

Most notably Amanda Brown was appointed for the first time to the 12-member APRA Board as an incoming Writer Director. Amanda is a classically-trained musician, songwriter, composer and former member of the Go-Betweens. As an APRA AMCOS member since 1991 Brown has won several Screen Music Awards and was a welcome addition to the experienced and vastly diverse board.

Chief Executive of APRA AMCOS Brett Cottle AM stated Brown’s nomination “represents a new wave of member engagement.” 

“We are working on a more diversified representation across the organisation, so the addition of a second woman joining Jenny Morris is great news,” he said in a statement.

Female representation on the APRA Board is only just over 16%, however APRA announced in its last Year in Review that its female membership was a low 22%.

Cottle addressed the industry-wide statistic today noting APRA has introduced eight new female songwriters to its Ambassador program and its finalist list for the 2015 Professional Development Awards “indicate the increasing growth in female representation.” Out of 35 finalists for the Professional Development Awards, 12 are female.

The injection of new blood comes on the eve of APRA AMCOS’ 90th year in operation. APRA AMCOS held two Annual General Meetings in Sydney today where the APRA Board and AMCOS Board appointments were announced.

The nominations marked an indicative year for the memberships organisation, with a record 20 members vying for two APRA Writer Director roles, of whom five were female. 

Incumbent APRA Board member Chris Neal (TV and film composer) has filled the second Writer Director vacancy, while Publisher Directors Ian James (Mushroom Music) and Philip Walker (Origin Music Publishing) dominated the balance of votes to be successfully re-elected. 

Ms Jenny Morris OAM, Chair of the APRA Board, acknowledged the 30-year contribution of departing APRA Board member, Mike Perjanik, “Mike has been a wonderfully wise and calm leader and it is with huge amounts of gratitude that I take over his steady ship.”

The four vacancies on the 12-member AMCOS Board were filled by first-time Board-elect Jaime Gough (of independent label Native Tongue Music Publishing) alongside returning Directors Ian James, Stephen McPherson (Hillsong Publishing) and Peter Hebbes (Hebbes Music Group).

At the AMCOS Board meeting, James was returned as Chair while Marianna Annas was elected as the new Deputy Chair of the AMCOS Board.

At the APRA Board meeting immediately following the AGM, Jenny Morris and Ian James were both respectively returned as Chair and Deputy Chair of the AMCOS Board. 

THE NEW APRA BOARD

Jenny Morris, Writer Director (Chair)

Ian James, Mushroom Music (Deputy Chair)

Bob Aird, Universal Music Publishing

David Albert, J. Albert & Son

Amanda Brown, Writer Director (new to the Board)

Matthew Capper, Warner/Chappell Music Australia

Brendan Gallagher, Writer Director

Don McGlashan, Writer Director 

Chris Neal, Writer Director (re-elected)

Damien Trotter, Sony/ATV Music Publishing

Philip Walker, Origin Music Group (re-elected)

Nigel Westlake, Writer Director 

Outgoing: Mike Perjanik, Writer Director

THE NEW AMCOS BOARD

Ian James, Mushroom Music  (Chair)

Marianna Annas, ABC Music Publishing (Deputy Chair)

Bob Aird, Universal Music Publishing

David Albert, J. Albert & Son

Philip Burn, Hal Leonard

Matthew Capper, Warner/Chappell Music Australia

Jaime Gough, Native Tongue Music (new to the Board)

Peter Hebbes, Hebbes Music Group (re-elected)

Steve McPherson, Hillsong Publishing (re-elected)

Simon Moor, Kobalt Music Group

Damien Trotter, Sony/ATV Music Publishing

Philip Walker, Origin Music Group

Outgoing: Matthew Donlevy, peermusic