Licensing

Licensing of sound recordings

Phonographic Performances NZ Limited (“PPNZ”) is aware that recorded music is played in most Hospitality establishments.

The Copyright Act 1994 prohibits the public playing of a copyright sound recording without the permission of the copyright owner. In most instances the copyright owner will be the record company which has produced the sound recording. PPNZ is the agent for those record companies for the purposes of licencing the public performance of sound recordings.

Music sourced and played from CDs, DVDs, MP3 devices (e.g. iPods) and hard drives, amongst other formats, all fall under the jurisdiction of PPNZ.

Establishments require a site licence to legally play those sound recordings in public. Site licences are issued upon payment of an annual fee to PPNZ, and cost as little as 41c per day depending on the size and nature of the business. For ease of use, site licences can be obtained using our website: www.ppnz.co.nz

Further, if an establishment reproduces sound recordings for public performance (i.e compilations) or format shifts sound recordings for public performance (i.e transfers recordings to hard drive) a compiler licence is also payable to PPNZ.

In many cases, establishments prefer to use the services of a Compilation Service Provider (“CSP”) to source their music. This is advantageous for establishments as CSPs are already licenced by PPNZ to supply recordings for use in public spaces. For further information, PPNZ’s website list’s approved CSP businesses: http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/ppnz-popup-compilerproviders.asp

If a Site does not have a current site licence, and compiled music is playing in your establishment that has not been supplied by a licensed CSP operator, then this activity is a breach of the Copyright Act 1994 and could result in legal action being taken against that establishment.

PPNZ is committed towards assisting New Zealand businesses meet their statutory copyright obligations. If you have any queries or wish to discuss this matter in more detail, please do not hesitate to contact Mark Roach at PPNZ on 0800 88 77 69.