Recorded Music New Zealand

What Recorded Music New Zealand does

Recorded Music New Zealand Limited (Recorded Music NZ) is a non-profit collective management organization (CMO) founded in 1957 and headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand. It represents recording artists and recording rights holders across Aotearoa New Zealand, acting as the peak industry body for the recorded-music sector. Its core function is to collect licensing fees from music users and distribute royalties back to rights holders, alongside providing ISRC registration, advocacy, and promotional programmes.

The organization's core products and platforms include the myRecordedMusic member portal for rights-holder self-service (recording registration, distribution policy access, legacy master rights agreement updates), ISRC code registration services, and a portfolio of licence categories covering Music in Business (delivered through the OneMusic joint venture with APRA AMCOS), Radio, Television, Digital & Online, and Cinema. It also operates community programmes such as MusicHelps (industry welfare), SoundCheck Aotearoa, and nextWAV (emerging artist support), and administers cultural-industry assets including the Aotearoa Music Awards, Pacific Music Awards, Aotearoa Children's Music Awards (Ngā Manu Tīrairaka), and the Taite Music Prize.

Recorded Music NZ is a membership-based, private, non-profit entity with 11–50 employees. Its revenue model is built on licensing royalties collected from music users, supplemented by income tied to its awards and community programmes. Pricing for licences is not publicly disclosed and varies by business type, size, and usage category. The organization is geographically focused on Aotearoa New Zealand, with no disclosed international offices, and pursues international royalty collection through reciprocal arrangements implied by its June 2026 Distribution Policy update for offshore rights holders. Strategic partnerships with APRA AMCOS and NZ On Air underpin its licensing and award activities.

Name

Recorded Music New Zealand

Legal name

Recorded Music New Zealand Limited

Website

https://recordedmusic.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Recorded Music New Zealand is a non-profit collective management organization that collects licensing fees from music users in Aotearoa New Zealand and distributes royalties to recording artists and rights holders, while running awards and community programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Rights Management

NAICS

Record Production and Distribution (51225), Sound Recording Industries (5122)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Performance/Neighboring Rights for AV Uses (Cue Sheet & Reporting Services) (MPAIALAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) & Public Performance Licensing (MPAIAKAA), Music Rights Administration & Royalty Processing (Admin, Accounting, Statements) (MPAIAKAD), Royalty Accounting & Payment Services (Statements, Audits, Payee Management) (MPAIABAL)

Keywords

• Music licensing services
• Collective rights management
• Royalty collection
• Neighbouring rights administration
• ISRC registration

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Music Licensing Royalties: Recorded Music NZ acts as a collective management organization that collects licensing fees from music users (businesses, radio, television, digital platforms, cinema) and distributes royalties to recording artists and rights holders. Revenue is generated through various licence categories including Music in Business (OneMusic), Radio, Television, Digital & Online, and Cinema licences.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Recorded Music NZ is a collective management organization that licenses recorded music on behalf of recording artists and rights holders in New Zealand. It collects licensing fees from music users across categories including Music in Business (via the OneMusic joint venture with APRA AMCOS), Radio, Television, Digital & Online, and Cinema, then distributes royalties to registered rights holders. It also administers ISRC code registration and operates the myRecordedMusic portal for rights holder self-service.

Product overview

Recorded Music NZ is a collective management organization (CMO) that represents recording artists and rights holders in Aotearoa New Zealand. The organization operates as a unified platform offering licensing, advocacy, and promotion services. Its core product portfolio includes the myRecordedMusic Portal for rights holder management, ISRC registration for recording identification, and comprehensive licensing services across multiple channels (Music in Business/OneMusic, Radio, Television, Digital & Online, Cinema). The company also administers community initiatives including the Taite Music Prize, Children's Music Awards (Ngā Manu Tīrairaka), Pacific Music Awards, MusicHelps, SoundCheck Aotearoa, and nextWAV programs, supporting artists at all career stages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Music in Business (OneMusic) Licence Licensing service that allows businesses to legally use recorded music in commercial settings such as background music, live performances, and public play. Delivered as part of the OneMusic joint licensing venture with APRA AMCOS, providing a single licence covering both performance rights and neighbouring rights for businesses in New Zealand.
• Radio Licence Licensing service for radio broadcasters in New Zealand to obtain legal authorization to transmit recorded music over the air.
• Television Licence Licensing service for television broadcasters to legally use recorded music in their programming and broadcasts.
• Digital & Online Licence Licensing service for digital platforms, streaming services, and online content creators to legally use recorded music in their online offerings.
• Cinema Licence Licensing service for cinemas to legally publicly perform recorded music accompanying films shown in their venues.
• ISRC Code Registration ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) registration service that assigns unique identifiers to sound recordings, enabling tracking, identification, and royalty collection for individual recordings. Available to recording artists and rights holders.
• myRecordedMusic Member Portal Online member portal for recording rights holders to manage their recordings, access distribution policies, view international royalties information, update legacy master rights agreements, and administer their membership with Recorded Music NZ.
• Recording Rights Holder Registration Registration service for recording rights holders to join Recorded Music NZ and gain access to licensing administration, royalty distribution, ISRC registration, and advocacy services.
• Recording Artist Registration Registration service for recording artists providing rights education, music copyright guidance, access to international royalties management, and advocacy support through Recorded Music NZ.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• APRA AMCOScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPRA AMCOS (Australasian Performing Right Association and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society) works with Recorded Music NZ on joint initiatives including the Aotearoa Children's Music Awards and OneMusic joint licensing venture for background music in businesses.
• NZ On AircoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNZ On Air is a Crown entity that funds New Zealand audio-visual content. Recorded Music NZ partners with NZ On Air on the Aotearoa Children's Music Awards | Ngā Manu Tīrairaka to celebrate excellence in children's music.
• OneMusiccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOneMusic is a joint licensing venture between APRA AMCOS and Recorded Music NZ that provides a single licence for businesses to play recorded music, combining performance rights and neighbouring rights.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• SoundExchange: US non-profit CMO designated to collect neighbouring rights royalties for sound recordings, particularly for digital and satellite radio. Direct peer operating the same rights-collection business model on a much larger scale.
• SCPP (Société Civile des Producteurs Phonographiques): French CMO representing phonogram producers for neighbouring rights collection and distribution. Direct peer operating the same collective licensing model for recording rights holders.
• GVL (Gesellschaft zur Verwertung von Leistungsschutzrechten): German neighbouring rights CMO collecting and distributing royalties to performers and producers. Direct peer with multi-channel licensing structure across broadcasting, public performance, and online uses.
• PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited): UK-based CMO collecting royalties for the use of recorded music on behalf of performers and rights holders. Direct peer with analogous licensing categories (broadcast, public performance, online) and reciprocal collection role.
• Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA): Australian sister organization that licenses recorded music on behalf of performers and rights holders. Direct peer as it operates the same neighbouring rights CMO model across the Tasman, with overlapping reciprocal collection agreements and analogous OneMusic partnership structure.
• PPL (Ireland) - Phonographic Performance (Ireland): Irish neighbouring rights CMO licensing recorded music use on behalf of performers and rights holders. Smaller-market analogue of Recorded Music NZ with comparable licensing categories.
• Recorded Music NZ (PPNZ legacy): The same entity, formerly operating as Phonographic Performances New Zealand (PPNZ), illustrating how the role maps onto international neighbouring-rights CMO nomenclature.

Others

• APRA AMCOS: Australasian CMO for compositional/performance rights, partnering with Recorded Music NZ via the OneMusic joint venture. Operates adjacent (composition rights) rather than competing (recording rights) mandate; relevant peer as a tightly integrated counterparty.

Broad incumbents

• BPI (British Phonographic Industry): UK trade body for the recorded music industry. Functions as both a trade association and awards body (BRIT Awards), paralleling Recorded Music NZ's role around industry advocacy and the Aotearoa Music Awards.
• IFPI: International federation representing the recording industry worldwide. Broad incumbent that coordinates global standards and advocacy across national CMOs including Recorded Music NZ, which sits within IFPI's network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RecordedMusicNZ
• Facebookfacebook.com/RecordedMusicNZ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/recorded-music-new-zealand

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Recorded Music New Zealand