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How do I renew my own or my choir's membership?
An invoice is sent to all ANCA members annually. For choirs and institutions, the invoice is sent to the email address that you have provided to ANCA.
I've forgotten my log in details!
Click on MEMBERS and you will be asked to log in. If you can remember you login user name enter it and rquest a new password. It will be emailed to you. If you can't remember your user name, please contact admin@anca.org.au.
I renewed my membership more than two weeks ago and I have not heard from Aon. What went wrong?
A few options:
Did you reference your EFT payment with your membership or invoice number?
If your payment was not clearly referenced, your membership may not have been processed. Please check your payment can clearly be identified (remembering that some banks only show 10 digits of the reference). If you believe your payment was not clearly referenced, please get in touch and we can try to locate it.
Does ANCA have up to date contact details for your membership?
If the Primary Contact for your choir has moved on or changed email addresses, your receipts and correspondence may not have made it to your choir. For instructions on how to check and change your choir/institution contact details look HERE.
Does Aon have up to date contact details for your insurance policy?
Aon Insurance sends policy renewals to the supplied postal address. Please ensure the details Aon has for you are up to date. You could also request an email renewal instead.
Did you apply for a new membership instead of renewing?
If you filled in your details all over again, you may have a new membership. Please get in touch with the office so that we can cancel the new membership and notify Aon that your membership is up to date. They will get in touch with the policy renewal.
I have paid my membership but i have not received a receipt. How can I get one?
Receipts for all membership payments are made available for download once you have logged in.
How do I update my membership or public directory details on the website?
Please read here..
What should I do if an accident happens at a choir gig?
- Call an ambulance or seek appropriate medical help!
- Call Aon to let them know there has been an incident
- If you have taken out insurance, it is your responsibility to read your policy carefully and ensure you know what you are covered for and seek clarification if required
A few quick points! - For further information, or call Aon directly on 1800 123 266
- Personal Accident Insurance helps protect your conductors and choristers against personal accidental injury or death.
- It only covers non-Medicare medical expenses such as dental, ambulance, chiropractor, physiotherapy, osteotherapy, private hospital accommodation costs and the like. This means that there is a gap.
- Because of legislation, insurers cannot cover any out of hospital expenses that have a Medicare component.
How do I renew my/my choir's insurance with Aon?
Once your ANCA membership has been renewed, ANCA will let Aon know. Aon will send a policy renewal to your nominated address. This will be via post unless specified otherwise. Please ensure your mailing address details are kept up to date with Aon. You cannot renew your policy online, but you can request your renewal to be sent via email.
Can I have my Aon policy renewal emailed to me?
Yes, just request an email renewal from Aon. You can call the direct client line, 1800 123 266 to discuss the contact details of your policy or alternatively au.nfp@aon.com
Who is covered by our Insurance with Aon?
The Australian National Choral Association Inc (ANCA) and their
members, potential members (choirs and individuals) committees, Conductors, Music Directors and
accompanist acting as volunteers. Cover will also extend should a choir, accompanist, Conductor, Music Director receive an honorarium for service.
But will our insurance policy cover our conductor and accompanist because we pay them an Honorarium - the policy says it covers volunteers?
Aon have negotiated broader coverage, should a choir, accompanist, Conductor or Music Director receive an honorarium for service cover is extended as such payments classed as an honorary reward for voluntary services or a fee for professional services voluntarily rendered.
As an Individual member, can I get insurance from Aon?
Yes, Aon also offers insurance policies for Individual Members – perfect for conductors who are with a number of choirs, or other busy musical members who freelance or need to be covered at all times. If you do not have insurance, we recommend checking out this tailored policy with a competitive not for profit rate: anca.org.au/insurance
What do I do about copyright?
In Australia music creators generally authorise two organisations to administer their rights and collect their royalties – APRA AMCOS (composers and music publishers, since 1926) and PPCA (recording artists and record labels, since 1969). Most choirs are familiar with either one or both of these organisations.
Since July 2019 OneMusic Australia bundled all those rights above into one licence to make life easier.
If you wanted to use our music (the music from the combined repertoires of APRA AMCOS and PPCA), and you did not have a OneMusic licence, you would need to deal directly with the composers, songwriters, music publishers, recording artists and record labels who own the rights in the music you wished to use.
The OneMusic Community Music Groups licence is similar to the previous APRA AMCOS and PPCA licences, but it is expanded to include additional rights. We consulted with the industry in 2017 and it was made very clear to us that they wanted more rights for bands, choirs, choral groups and performance groups around the country.
Do I need a music licence when my choir uses music from OneMusic Australia repertoire?
Yes. If you use OneMusic’s works/songs within your choir, Commonwealth legislation requires permission (a licence) from the creators of that music. You can seek independent legal information at copyright.org.au.
The OneMusic Community Music Groups licence provides access to our millions of songs and recordings and covers your live music performances at community events and audio recordings of your performances at these events, making audio copies for practice and rehearsals, and printing off copies of original print music to supplement your performances and practice.
This licence scheme is only available to those who fall under the definition of a Community Music Group: an individual band, choir, ensemble or performance group that:
• has public performance of music as its primary purpose;
• is operated as not for profit;
• consists of only amateur, unpaid participants (other than any conductor or band leader);
• exists with the aim of developing musical learning;
• is led by experienced music educators;
• is conducted with open and inclusive participation; and
• has joining fees that are conducive to open and inclusive participation
What is covered?
Music for Community Groups covers performances of our music at community events, approved print/sheet music copies in rehearsals as practice for these events (we just have a few conditions here, see below) and also audio-only recordings at the community events.
The only conditions for bands, choirs, ensembles or performance group events are that the event is either free-of-charge or if conducted for a fee, only for the purpose of recovering costs or for fundraising for the group.
How much is the licence?
The licence is renewed annually and is payable per Community Music Group. Current rates.
If a piece of music is out of print can I photocopy it without infringing on copyright?
You can. You can make physical copies of Original Print Music through a photocopier or printer. You just can’t make digital copies/share on a computer. You must leave the print music unaltered, that is, you can’t ‘copy’ to make a new Arrangement.
A work being out of print doesn’t necessarily mean that it is out of copyright protection, see below.
More on copyright and music that seems to be ‘in the Public Domain’
There are many mistruths about how long copyright lasts – don’t presume! The recording you want to use is from more than 70 years ago (out of copyright) but because the composer lived up until 30 years ago and still has rights, the work remains in copyright.
When a song is written, the composer is the copyright owner of the work. The life of copyright in Australian territories is 70 years, which means that the composer, their publisher or their estate is entitled to receive royalties for their work for up to 70 years from the date of their death (or in the case of a co-written work, 70 years from the death of the last surviving writer). Once the 70 years has passed, the work is then in the Public Domain which means it can be used without a fee and without requiring permission from the composer or their estate.
However, if someone makes an arrangement of a work in the Public Domain (e.g. a version of the 1812 Overture for the ukulele) then that arrangement of the work becomes protected. If you would like to check the status of any work please enquire via the APRA AMCOS Research Form. [An Arrangement is an adaptation of an AMCOS work/musical composition].
For the recording of the song, it remains in copyright for 70 years from the date it was first released in Australia. For subsequent newly made recordings (e.g. an older recording that is digitally re-recorded), the period starts again.
Under the Copyright Act (1968):
- music is protected from the time it is written down or recorded until 50 years after the death of the composer
- lyrics are protected separately until 50 years after the death of the lyricist
- the arrangement is protected until 50 years after the death of the arranger
- the published edition remains in copyright from the date of publication for 25 years.
How can I find copies of an unpublished choral work by an Australian composer?
The best place to start is at the Australian Music Centre. They have a choral catalogue of musical works by Australian composers. They also have an extensive library. As well as borrowing rights, facsimile scores are available for purchase for many works. Contact the Australian Music Centre on 02 9247 4677.
Does my choir need originals for rehearsals as well as performances?
Yes. Not only does your choir need to perform from original published editions of choral music in a public performance, but original print music should be used for all rehearsals.
Can I legally borrow music from another choir?
Only if no photocopying of the music takes place by either the lending or the borrowing choir and the music has not been imported from overseas.
If the music has been ordered by the choir directly from overseas (not through an Australian retailer) there are restrictive provisions in the Copyright Act (1968) that would prevent the subsequent lending of (or making available for hire or sale) the music.
What if I have bought 20 choral sheets and there are 30 in my choir?
Unless choristers share music, or sing from memory, you will need to buy 10 additional choral sheets. You may not presume that as you had bought 20 that you are allowed to supplement these with additional photocopies.
What if I have bought 20 choral sheets and the numbers in my choir vary between 15 and 25?
You will need to buy an extra five copies, or try to obtain permission to make any additional copies, if the work or edition is in copyright.
Can I transcribe the choral lines for different voices, for example, changing an SSA piece to an SATE arrangement?
If it is just a matter of reassigning parts, without re-writing the music, there is no problem doing this. For example, if you had a piece of music scored for 3 treble parts, obviously an SSA women's choir could sing this, without having to transcribe it. If the transcription actually involves a rewriting of the work, for example, if changing an SSA piece into an SATB arrangement, this is actually a rearrangement of the work, requiring permission (assuming that the music is in copyright).
What if the key that the piece is written in is too high? Can I transpose it down?
If you have purchased a piece of music in an unsuitable key, certain music publishers permit you to make an exact transposition of a piece of music. You must first check to make sure that it is not commercially available in that particular key.
Does a OneMusic Community Music Groups licence allow the performance of musicals?
No. A separate licence scheme covers music used in a Dramatic Context. Dramatic Context is defined as the performance of musical works: a) in conjunction with a presentation on the live stage that has: (i) a storyline; and (ii) one or more narrators or characters; or b) as a Ballet.
A OneMusic licence will not cover the use of any Grand Right Work in its entirety, except by means of a theatrically-released Film and will not cover a choral work of more than 20 minutes duration and will not cover a musical work with new or substituted lyrics, or any lyrics which have been notified by APRA as prohibited.
If it is just a matter of reassigning parts, without re-writing the music, this is OK. For example, if you had a piece of music scored for three treble parts an SSA women's choir could sing this without having to transcribe it. If the transcription actually involves a rewriting of the work for example changing an SSA piece into an SATB arrangement, this is actually a re-arrangement of the work, requiring permission. See Arrangement definition above.
If I want to make an audio recording of my choir, does this Community Music Group licence cover me?
Yes, you can opt for the cover for APRA Works ands AMCOS Works that also covers Reproduction of AMCOS Works for the purpose of practice and rehearsals of performances by the Community Music Group at Community Events; and making Community Event Audio Recordings. This is at a higher annual fee than the standard ‘Unrestricted number of live music performances by the Community Music Group at Community Events’ cover.
If I arrange a piece of music by Beethoven, do I need permission from anyone?
No. You may arrange a Public Domain piece of music and as Beethoven died more than 70 years ago his music qualifies. However, if you wanted to make an arrangement of his music, that is, to use elements of someone else's arrangement in your own arrangement, then you would require permission from the copyright owner of the Beethoven’s arrangement.
Can my choristers share the music, or do they have to have one choral sheet per person?
That is up to your group.
Whose responsibility is it for ensuring that there is a OneMusic licence in place for an Eisteddfod or other music competition?
It is the responsibility of the Eisteddfod organisers to apply for the OneMusic Eisteddfod and Competitions licence.
Are choirs allowed to make a single photocopy of the music for the Eisteddfod Adjudicator?
You may therefore make a single copy of the music for the Adjudicator if it is marked "adjudicator copy only" and is destroyed afterwards.
Is the choir's accompanist allowed to photocopy the music to keep in his or her scrapbook or folder?
No, not without permission from the copyright owner.
If I want to make a video recording of my choir's performance, do I need a licence?
Yes, you may be eligible for a single event special event video licence from AMCOS/ ARIA. This would entitle you to make a number of video copies (fee dependent on the number of copies) of a performance (including copyright musical works) to be shown in a domestic setting (i.e. not a public screening of the video recording). If you need more than that number of videos, you would have to obtain permission from the music publishers and record labels of those works. You may contact AMCOS for assistance in the first instance.
If I want to write out the song lyrics so that the audience can sing along at a choral concert, do I need permission?
If the lyrics are out of copyright, you do not need permission.
If they are in copyright and in OneMusic’s repertoire you will need to contact the copyright owners for permission.
We advise that you send OneMusic a list of the songs that you intend to transcribe, including song title and composer/lyricist details and we will research the copyright in these works and direct you to the appropriate music publishers for permission.
I am a Community Choir director who owns a copy of a long work. I want to perform a small section of it. Is there a certain percentage of the work that I can copy legally for my choir without permission?
Use of part of a work requires permission. You will need to seek permission from the publisher to copy a work. Some exceptions do exist in the Copyright Act (1968) but you need to check. Contact the Australian Copyright Council for more information.
I own a set of original sheet music. Can I make a copy of that sheet music for daily use by my choir, so that I do not lose my originals?
If the work is in copyright, you can do so only if you seek permission from the Music Publisher. Contact OneMusic for help.
Can I borrow original sheet music from another choir and use it for my performance?
Yes, as long as you are using it in its original form and not copying it without permission.
I am researching repertoire for my choir. I own a single copy of the music. Before deciding whether we will sing certain pieces in our concert, I would like to test them out with the choir. Can I legally photocopy my own music “for research/study purposes” and then order the originals when I have finalised my repertoire choice for the concert?
No. You need to seek permission from the print publisher. The best option is to teach your choir some sections of the work by ear.
I have downloaded music from www.cpdl.org or www.imslp.org. Can we copy music downloaded here without permission?
Works found at www.cpdl.org and www.imslp.org are mainly in the Public Domain in the United States and Canada (the origin of the websites respectively) and in some cases can be copied without permission in Australia. But it’s important to note that the published editions on those sites might still be protected by their own copyright in Australia and you should therefore check to make sure that any sheet music you download from the sites was published more than 25 years ago. If it wasn’t, then you’ll need to seek publisher permission.
Can we perform the music downloaded from these sites without permission?
Yes, in most cases you can, but again it’s important to check that the works are in the public domain in Australia by confirming that the composer, lyricist and arranger all died before 1 January 1955.
I want to do a concert for which the proceeds go to a charity and not our performance group. How does this affect the licensing I need?
You will still need to obtain a Casual Event Licence in the same way as you would for any other event.
My choir has been asked to sing at a concert run by someone else. Do I have any responsibility for the performance licensing?
No, the responsibility for performance licensing sits with the concert or event organiser. If you are simply one of the performers, you do not need to obtain the licensing for that performance.
If I make a video of our concert for the members of our choir only for their own learning and enjoyment, what licences would I need?
Any recognisable portion of a work requires licensing and/or permissions. If the footage is saved to a DVD, you will need a Domestic Use Video licence from AMCOS.
If I make a video of our concert for the closed YouTube channel for our choir members band their families, what licences would I need?
Uploading video footage with music from the OneMusic repertoire on a public site such as YouTube requires Music Publisher permission for what is called a ‘synchronisation right’. AMCOS can help you find out who the relevant Music Publisher is.
If I make a video of our concert for my personal YouTube channel for anyone to see, what licences would I need?
As above.
