Resonate Magazine | Australian Music Centre

Image: Matthew Hindson  

Whenever consumers of sheet music - ensembles, arts organisations, music teachers, professional or amateur musicians, even librarians - ask how to get copies of my music, the first thing they say is, "Can I get it from the AMC?"

For decades, the AMC has provided a central point for the national and international distribution of sheet music by Australian composers.

It's one place where people can see a score online, and listen to a recording (in most cases). It just works so well, and is very democratic - putting emerging composers right next to established names for researchers to investigate.

As Stuart Greenbaum noted, there is an inherent promotional value in that the interested person or group doesn't need to know the composer, leading to performances of Australian music all over the world.

Furthermore, the AMC has an established royalty system in place, so there is no need for composers to feel that they must give their music away. Benefits flow back to the composer, and this is especially important to composers at the beginning of their career.

And even better, the physical sheet music is constructed to a very high standard of presentation. The composer need not spend their time printing, binding and sending out materials through the post. They can spend their time, instead, doing something productive: such as writing music.

It's an incredibly invaluable service to the entire Australian classical music ecosystem. Australian classical music would certainly not be the same without the AMC.

Prof Matthew Hindson AM
Deputy Head of School, Deputy Dean
Associate Dean
Sydney Conservatorium of Music

AMC Represented Artist