If you host multiple Eisteddfodau and/or Competitions under separate banners, at separate times, or in separate postcodes, we may ask you report for each of those separately using our multi-location spreadsheet.

Please contact eisteddfod@onemusic.com.au for assistance with licensing multiple Eisteddfodau and/or Competitions.

Prior to 2017, Eisteddfodau were required to take out separate licences with APRA AMCOS, ARIA and PPCA. With the aim to make things easier for Eisteddfod/Competition organisers, in 2017 we developed one central blanket licence, which became a OneMusic Australia licence in 2019.

To set the rates, we reviewed a range of entry fees and ticket prices at different Eisteddfodau/Competitions and compared that to their entry numbers. The ‘per entry’ model was decided on as the most appropriate way of measuring the scale of an Eisteddfod/Competition. At the time when the licence was being developed, the Association of Eisteddfod Societies of Australia (AESA) was the most prominent industry body, representing the largest number of Eisteddfodau in Australia. AESA and its board worked with APRA AMCOS, ARIA and PPCA to develop this licence and were consulted for feedback on the original proposal.

At the conclusion of 2017, APRA AMCOS, PPCA and ARIA conducted an in-depth assessment of data they had received from Eisteddfodau and Competitions and it was decided to reduce the fees. We also introduced a concession for regional-based eisteddfodau.

An Entry is defined as being each performer or group of performers who have been accepted to perform a Single Performance within an Eisteddfod/Competition Division. Multiple performances by the same entrant are considered multiple Entries, and performances of the same act over multiple Eisteddfodau, Divisions or days are considered multiple Entries.

OneMusic Australia partners with many associations in a number of different industries throughout Australia and New Zealand, from hotels and restaurants, to fitness, dance, education, and retail. By partnering with associations we are able to better ensure that association members receive accurate information and are being correctly licensed in the easiest possible way.

Our agreement with AESA means AESA’s members are offered a discounted rate when taking out the Eisteddfod/Competition licence. The lower rate for licence fees paid through AESA reflects the administrative work that AESA undertakes on behalf of OneMusic Australia. AESA has opted to pass on that discount to its members.

In determining the fee structure for the new licence, we took into consideration that Public Domain works (that is, works out of copyright) may feature in certain Eisteddfod and Competition events. Through consultation with AESA it was determined that it would be too burdensome for each Eisteddfod/Competition to report on whether each work was in or out of copyright. The Eisteddfod/Competition licence does not seek to license non-copyright works and recordings but rather apply a lower rate across all performances. The per entry rate was set, taking into account that the total entry number would include performances of Public Domain works. For example, if there are ten entries in a division, and one of the ten performances is of a Public Domain work, all entries must be counted. The entry number reported for that division is ten. Licence fees are based on a per entry rate in order to measure the scale of an Eisteddfod or Competition, rather than to reflect exactly how many times a piece of music gets performed. It is about gauging audience size.

However, a decision was made to exclude entire Divisions of Public Domain music from being counted. For example, if a Division within an Eisteddfod/Competition uses entirely Public Domain music (e.g. an under 18 Bach Sonata event) those entries do not need to be counted. However, if a Division contains both copyright-protected and Public Domain works, then all entries must be counted.

OneMusic pays out the fees it collects to APRA AMCOS, PPCA and ARIA, the bodies behind the licensing initiative. After the deduction of administration and operational costs, all fees collected are paid to members or licensors (according to a range of sample data and other data sources for other uses of music).

Rights management organisations have to balance out the desire for accurate royalty payments to copyright owners with the costs of administration and any over-burdensome obligations on Eisteddfodau/Competitions. So that we can distribute royalties to the right people, we ask specific events to provide us with a full list of what is performed. For those events, we are able to pay those licence fees directly to the songwriters and artists. We understand that providing detailed information is not always possible for a number of Eisteddfodau and Competitions so the licence fees we receive from these types of events go into royalty pools that are paid out based on different sources of data. Of course, we encourage music use reporting (setlists) on a voluntary basis from any event organiser.

In your first licence year, you need to estimate entry numbers for the year ahead. This is only an estimate. If you need to you can adjust these entry numbers at the end of the licence year.  

From the second licence year onwards, we will call for entry numbers from the previous year. 

See ‘What is an entry?’ for more information.

If your event meets the following definition of an Eisteddfod or a Competition (including a series of multiple Eisteddfod/Competition events) then it will be licensed under the OneMusic Australia Eisteddfod/Competition Licence.

Eisteddfod means a competitive arts festival which includes music that is organised and presented by You, where either the ticket price to attend or the fee for Entry into a single Division is $40 or less (including GST and booking and handling fee).

Competition means a competitive event involving dance, calisthenics, gymnastics, cheerleading or similar activities, that is organised by You and where participants are charged a fee to enter, but excludes any such events where either the ticket price to attend or the fee for an individual performer to enter a single Division is more than $40 (including GST and any booking and handling fee).

If you are unsure if this applies to your event, please contact eisteddfod@onemusic.com.au

Some venues hosting Eisteddfodau and Competitions already hold a OneMusic Australia licence that covers certain eligible events. If an Eisteddfod/Competition is being held in a venue that already has a licence, the venue simply excludes it from their reporting and pays no fee for that event.

Eisteddfodau and Competitions are not eligible to be covered by these venue licences because of their pricing structure and the additional rights an Eisteddfod or Competition needs - such as copying of backing tracks and making recordings of the events for entrants and adjudicators.