APRA AMCOS Calls Out Tech Council’s ‘Smokescreen’ on AI Innovation

Tech companies refusing to engage with established licensing pathways is the real barrier to AI innovation in Australia, according to APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormston.

In the music rights management organisation’s rejection of the Productivity Commission’s proposal for a text and data mining copyright exemption, Ormston emphasised that tech companies’ inability to negotiate is what’s actually holding up innovation, calling the Tech Council’s bluster a smokescreen for avoiding standard commercial arrangements.

“This isn’t about technology versus creativity. It’s about recognition and compensation,” he told the Senate inquiry into AI and the arts, representing 124,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers.

“The narrative that copyright protections are blocking AI innovation is not just false – it’s a delaying tactic,” Ormston continued. “Australia has a world-leading licensing framework. These deals are everyday business for us. We’ve successfully navigated photocopying, peer-to-peer file sharing, and every technological disruption that came before. The solution exists. What’s missing is a phone call.”

APRA AMCOS commissioned a landmark report AI and Music in 2024 which presented evidence that 97% of APRA AMCOS members demand consent, credit and compensation when it comes to AI platform copying. The organisation projected AU$519 million in cumulative damage by 2028 — representing 23% of creator revenues — if AI platforms continue to operate unlicensed.

The organisation appeared alongside Annabelle Herd from ARIA and PPCA and Damian Rinaldi from AMPAL at the inquiry, presenting a united front from across the Australian music industry.

“The Tech Council calls their position ‘finding a path forward.’ We call it what it is: grand theft,” Ormston said. “All we’ve asked for is what every other industry demands – recognition and fair compensation for the use of our work. We’re open for business. Let’s get them to the table.”

APRA AMCOS’ director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs and strategy, Leah Flanagan, also spoke, outlining how strong licensing frameworks aligned with current copyright law have supported significant growth in the music community over the past five years, reflected in increased earnings and visibility for Indigenous artists like King Stingray, Budjerah, and Emily Wurramara.

Pointing to the current legislative work for Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property, she suggested that it was critical to also include protections for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural expressions in digital forms like music.

Other industry leaders and music creators attended and spoke at the Senate hearing, including artists Francois Tetaz, Adam Briggs, Holly Rankin (stage name Jack River), Dan McNamee and Paul Dempsey, who all revealed they had never been approached by the Productivity Commission for insights into the creative economy.

They provided testimonies that demonstrated the value of intellectual property on supporting their livelihoods and how existing commercial solutions prove the industry is ready and able to provide licences when tech companies are willing to negotiate.