Patrick Alan Thomas AM , MBE (1 June 1932 – 1 August 2017) was an Australian conductor.
39-659: The APRA Music Awards in Australia celebrate excellence in contemporary music, honoring songwriters and publishers who have achieved artistic excellence and outstanding success in their fields. Several award ceremonies are run in Australia by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). In addition to the APRA Music Awards, APRA AMCOS, in association with
78-530: A lifetime contribution to the art music community. Patrick Thomas Maureen Cooney The annual Screen Music Awards were first presented in 2002 by APRA and AMCOS in conjunction with the Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC). The ceremony, held in November, acknowledges excellence and innovation in the field of screen composition, and as of 2019 covers 13 categories. The Emily Burrows Award
117-594: A result, member broadcasters agreed to pay a fixed sum for broadcasting rights. With the introduction of the Australian Copyright Act 1968 , APRA extended its services to any Australian business with copyright obligations. Demand for the service increased steadily over the following thirty years and by 2005, APRA represented the interests of 28,000 members within Australasia, and about two million creative artists and publishers from elsewhere in
156-586: A way of developing a broadened approach on the part of the audiences to diverse modern repertoire, plus a more responsive and capable facility from the orchestra. Patrick Thomas co-established a successful Modern Music Forum in Brisbane. Regularly conducting the Sydney Symphony Orchestra including on its international tours, and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra , Thomas's glamorous concert engagements outside Queensland were in stark contrast to
195-724: A whole generation of young Australians through his popular and distinctive schools concerts. He held a succession of important posts with four of Australia's major ABC orchestras and the specially created position of ABC Federal Conductor-in-Residence as well as conducting the Australian Opera and the Australian Ballet . He also conducted the ABC's radio chorus, the Adelaide Singers . Overseas, he appeared in 12 countries as Guest Conductor of such orchestras as
234-533: A young flautist of exceptional ability, Patrick Thomas enrolled as Sub-Junior student at Brisbane State High School , located in South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia , in 1947. Later that year, as a 14-year-old, he played third flute at the first Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) performance, on 26 March 1947, when the new 45-member ensemble under guest conductor Percy Code introduced Queenslanders to their own professional symphony orchestra. In 1963,
273-634: Is a member and AMCOS associate member of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), and AMCOS is a member of the Bureau International de l'Edition Mécanique (BIEM), the international mechanical rights coordinating organisation. APRA AMCOS adheres to a voluntary Code of Conduct for Collecting Societies which was introduced in 2002. It can be difficult or almost impossible to license copyright on an individual basis. The composer of
312-484: Is also a discretionary award, The Richard Gill Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music. Originally named The Distinguished Services to Australian Music Award, from 2019 it was renamed in honour of Australian conductor and educator Richard Gill (1941 – 2018). It is determined by APRA's Board of Writer and Publisher Directors and the Australian Music Centre Board for
351-597: Is decided by APRA's Board of Writer and Publisher Directors for an emerging songwriter or groups of writers. The award category was first introduced by APRA in 2002. There are a number of awards given for most performed work based on a statistical analysis of APRA's database. These awards include "Most Performed Australian Work of the Year", "Most Performed Australian Work Overseas", "Most Performed Foreign Work", "Most Performed Jazz Work", "Most Performed Country Work" and "Most Performed Dance Work". In 2001, APRA joined forces with
390-461: Is housed within the APRA AMCOS building, and is funded by APRA AMCOS, the federal government, and Creative Australia . It is housed within their Sydney office. Patrick Thomas (conductor) For a period of almost 35 years he conducted hundreds of performances across Australia in just about every centre where the various state symphony orchestras ventured, and introduced music to virtually
429-403: Is responsible for licensing musical works to third parties who reproduce music via CD , DVD , vinyl recording , downloading , streaming or other digital means of reproduction, issuing what are known as mechanical rights and distributing mechanical royalties to writers and publishers of music and overseas affiliates. In 1997 the two societies formed an alliance; since then, APRA has managed
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#1732801663869468-588: The Australian Copyright Act (1968) . APRA, which formed in 1926, represents songwriters , composers , and music publishers , providing businesses with a range of licences to use copyrighted music. This covers music that is communicated or performed publicly including on radio, television, online, live gigs in pubs and clubs etc. APRA distributes the royalties from these licence fees back to their composer, songwriter and music publisher members and overseas affiliates. AMCOS, which formed in 1979,
507-560: The APY lands , DEM MOB , won the award. As part of its 75th anniversary celebrations in 2001, APRA created a list of the top 30 Australian songs . A panel of 100 music personalities were asked to list the ten best Australian songs, the data was compiled and the Top Ten in numerical order, was announced at the 2001 APRA Music Awards ceremony. At the ceremony You Am I performed the #1 listed song " Friday on My Mind " with Ross Wilson performing
546-679: The Australian Music Centre (AMC) to present awards for Australian classical music, known as Classical Music Awards. The AMC had been presenting annual awards for classical music since 1988, apart from a 1993–1995 hiatus due to funding cuts. The participation of APRA helped to secure the future of the awards, which are the only Australian awards for contemporary Australian classical music. This award has been won by well-known composers including Brenton Broadstock , Brett Dean , Ross Edwards , Georges Lentz , Liza Lim , Richard Mills , and Peter Sculthorpe . After another hiatus in 2010,
585-640: The Australian Music Centre , presents awards for classical music , jazz and improvised music , experimental music and sound art , known as the Art Music Awards . It also runs, in association with the Australian Guild of Screen Composers (AGSC), the Screen Music Awards , to acknowledge excellence in the field of screen composition . The APRA Music Awards were established in 1982 to honour songwriters and music composers for their efforts. The award categories are: From 1982 to 1990,
624-711: The Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra , the Hallé Orchestra , Bavarian Radio Orchestra , Polish National Radio and Television Orchestra , Munich Philharmonic , BBC Symphony Orchestra , CBC Symphony Orchestra , Prague Radio Orchestra , and many others in New Zealand , the Czech Republic , Bulgaria and South Africa. Other facets of his diverse career included those of concert, radio and television presenter and interviewer. Thomas
663-763: The South Australian Music Awards (SAM Awards) for the first time, with Dead Roo winning the Award. Seabass were presented with the award at the SAM Awards in 2020, and Tilly Tjala Thomas won it in 2021. Thomas sings in both Nukunu language and English, with her single "Ngana Nyunyi" sung in both. She won triple j Unearthed 's NIMAs competition, giving her the opportunity to play at the National Indigenous Music Awards in 2021. In 2023, Indigenous hip hop band from
702-807: The #2 listed song " Eagle Rock ". The next 20 songs in the Top 30 had been announced four weeks earlier. Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association ( APRA ) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society ( AMCOS ), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwriters , composers and music publishers in Australia and New Zealand. The two organisations work together to license public performances and administer performance, communication and reproduction rights on behalf of their members, who are creators of musical works, aiming to ensure fair payments to members and to defend their rights under
741-624: The ABC's acting federal director of music, Joseph Post , gave him a conducting audition and less than two years later Thomas became director of the ABC's Adelaide Singers . From there he had a year's stint during 1968, as Conductor of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra before choosing to return to Adelaide. In 1973 he became the QSO's first – and, to date, only – homegrown chief conductor. He stayed in that post until 1977. He decided to increasingly offer 20th-century composers as
780-539: The APRA Music Awards. Songwriter of the Year is voted by APRA's Board of Writer and Publisher Directors rewarding the songwriter who has recorded the most impressive body of work in the previous year. The Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music' is decided by APRA's Board of Writer and Publisher Directors for a lifetime contribution. The Award is named after Ted Albert whose company Albert Productions put out records by The Easybeats , AC/DC and John Paul Young . Breakthrough Songwriter Award
819-610: The Art Music Awards for classical music (in association with the Australian Music Centre ), and the Screen Music Awards (in association with the Australian Guild of Screen Composers ). In New Zealand, the annual Silver Scroll is awarded by an anonymous judging panel to the year's best-written song on commercial release. Also awarded are the songs receiving the most airplay in New Zealand and overseas for
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#1732801663869858-558: The Arts commissioned APRA AMCOS to undertake an audit of support infrastructure for Indigenous music in Australia, which will be used as a guide for the Australia Council and other agencies responsible for policy development and funding of Indigenous music. In 2008 and 2009, APRA supported aggressive new copyright law in New Zealand, including punishment of persons accused but not proven to be infringing copyright. This position
897-651: The Copyright Act, reproduction of music entails the making of any type of copy of a work, whether recorded on a CD recording, video or DVD, used as a mobile phone ring tone, digitally downloaded, or used in any audiovisual and broadcast material. Since 1997 the two societies formed a collaboration representing composers and lyricists, to provide "a one-stop service to music creators and music customers." As of August 2019 The two organisations jointly host their website, named APRA AMCOS. In 2004, APRA appointed an Indigenous Project Officer. The Australia Council for
936-703: The age of 85. Thomas was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1978 and made an Honorary Life Member of the Fellowship of Australian Composers in 1998, a first for an Australian conductor. In 2005 he became a Patron of the Music Teachers' Association of New South Wales. In 2014 he was named a Member of the Order of Australia (AM). The Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award
975-542: The best songs were given the Gold Award, which was also called the Special Award. In the mid-1980s Platinum Awards were given to significant works from previous years. Song of the Year is decided by the votes of APRA members. All eligible songs must be written by an APRA member and released in the preceding calendar year for consideration. The Song of the Year award is considered one of the most prestigious of
1014-564: The creators or copyright owners are paid for the use of their work. APRA was established in 1926 by a number of companies, to represent the interests of Australasian music copyright holders, and to manage the performance and communication rights of its members. According to the Copyright Act, public performances of music include music played in pubs, clubs, fitness clubs , shops, cinemas , or at festivals, whether performed live, from radio or television. Communication of music covers music broadcast by TV or radio broadcasters, or accessed via
1053-965: The day-to-day operations of the AMCOS business, but each has its own board of directors , elected from and by their own membership. They jointly present the APRA Awards each year. The associations' national and NSW / ACT state/territory offices are located in Sydney , and the New Zealand office in Auckland . There are state/territory offices in Melbourne (for Victoria and Tasmania ); Brisbane, Queensland ; Adelaide, South Australia ; Perth, Western Australia ; and Darwin, Northern Territory . There are also international representatives in London, UK , Nashville, Tennessee , Los Angeles and New York . APRA
1092-535: The event returned as the Art Music Awards the following year, restructured and with two new categories. The awards now cover classical, jazz and improvised music, experimental music and sound art, recognising achievement in composition, performance, education and presentation. As of 2020, the current award structure recognises eleven annual awards and Luminary Awards for sustained contribution (nationally and for each state and territory) in Australian art music. There
1131-618: The final director of the ABC Sinfonia , he became a casualty of the structural reforms of the mid-1980s that led eventually to the complete divestment of the orchestras from the ABC. As a writer, his later work included an autobiography ( Upbeats and Downbeats: A Conductor's Life ), several hundred poems, a booklet of career anecdotes, a published reference text ( Overture to Conducting ), as well as articles and scripts for radio stations 2MBS FM and ABC Classic FM . He died in August 2017 at
1170-522: The harsh performance conditions which he and his 65-piece orchestra endured at home. Able to fill in at short notice when a scheduled conductor cancelled, Thomas became the ABC's Sydney-based conductor-in-residence. Thomas established an international reputation, especially in Europe where he was offered coveted return engagements by several leading ensembles. But his dedication to family and his home country meant that his career remained based in Australia. As
1209-456: The internet. In 1929, commercial radio broadcasters in Sydney and Melbourne paid APRA £7 a week for royalties, with music broadcasts limited to 66 hours a week. This arrangement broke down in 1931, with APRA banning the playing of records on air. The Australian Federation of Commercial Broadcasting Stations was established in that year to resolve royalty and copyright related issues and as
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1248-469: The music, upon joining APRA, assigns their performing and communication right to the organisation. They can also choose whether or not they want AMCOS to administer their reproduction right (excluding print music) including for what purposes. By acting as a link between the users and creators of copyright material, collecting societies like APRA and AMCOS provide a simple means for assisting users to comply with their copyright obligations as well as ensuring that
1287-464: The reproduction or copying and storage of music in any format. These royalties are generated each time "an original musical work is licensed by a third party and commercially reproduced or sold", whether on CD, DVD or vinyl recordings, music downloads or via streaming services. Thus the licensors include all major and independent record labels as well as digital service providers (DSPs) such as Apple Music and Spotify , and schools. According to
1326-511: The world, and gathered $ 146 million in royalty payments, of which $ 127 million was distributed to copyright holders. Today the Association provides businesses with a range of licences to use copyrighted music with APRA monitoring radio and television stations, concert promoters and cinemas in particular. The Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society Limited (AMCOS) was established in 1979 to manage mechanical royalties, i.e.
1365-533: The year. The APRA billion streams list was established in 2019 by APRA AMCOS to acknowledge Australasian songwriters whose works have achieved one billion (1,000,000,000) streams on various services. The Live Music Office was set up by the Federal Government and APRA AMCOS in order to develop a coordinated policy response to challenges facing the Australian live music industry. It advocates for better policies, strategies, and regulation. The office
1404-502: Was a partner in the production of a report entitled Born global: Australian music exports , published by the Australia Council. Also in 2019, APRA AMCOS joined the Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA) to create OneMusic Australia , a joint licensing initiative. In Australia, APRA AMCOS hosts a number of awards to honour achievements by local songwriters, including the APRA Music Awards,
1443-532: Was born in Brisbane , and attended Eagle Junction State School in Clayfield . In August 1944, at age 12, he attended his first major evening orchestral concert, when Eugene Ormandy conducted at Brisbane City Hall in four concerts designed to boost the war effort. Thomas requested, and a few days later received, Ormandy's autograph, and from then on set his sights on becoming a conductor. Already recognised as
1482-407: Was instituted in 2001 in memory of Emily Burrows, a former APRA AMCOS membership representative and compliance officer. It is awarded to a South Australian artist or band annually with a $ 5,000 prize, to further their development and career. Electric Fields won it in 2016, with previous winners including Hilltop Hoods and The Beards , Dead Roo, and Ollie English In 2019 the prize was awarded at
1521-601: Was opposed by artists and APRA members. In 2009, Sounds Australia was created as a joint initiative of the Australia Council and APRA AMCOS. Sounds Australia is "a joint partnership between the Australian Council of the Arts, APRA AMCOS, the Australian Government , ARIA, the PPCA and state government agencies", which promotes and showcases Australian music around the globe. In 2019, APRA AMCOS
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