Music Licensing for Drag Events in Aotearoa New Zealand

The music behind the moment

Every lip-sync, every live number, every karaoke singalong runs on someone else's music - and in Aotearoa that music carries rights you need to respect. The good news is that for most drag shows the licensing is already sorted before you arrive. The catch is knowing where the venue's licence stops and your own responsibilities begin, especially the moment a camera or a livestream enters the room. This guide walks you through what is covered, what is not, and who has to confirm it.

The three rights you are dealing with

Whenever music plays at your event, you are touching three separate things, and it helps to keep them straight.

The musical work - the song itself: the melody, lyrics and composition. These rights belong to the songwriters, composers and publishers, represented in New Zealand by APRA AMCOS.
The sound recording - the specific recorded track you press play on. These rights belong to the recording artists and labels, represented by Recorded Music NZ.
The performance - the act of playing or performing that music in public, in a room full of people.

For public performance, both halves of the rights pie are handled together by OneMusic NZ, the joint licensing service operated by APRA AMCOS and Recorded Music NZ. One licence, both sets of rights, for music played or performed in a venue. The underlying law sits in the Copyright Act 1994.

What a venue's OneMusic licence covers - and what it doesn't

A OneMusic licence is usually held by the venue, not the performer. It covers playing and performing recorded or live music in that business or venue - in-room playback through the PA, DJ sets, recorded backing tracks, karaoke, and live musicians on stage. So when you perform a lip-sync set to a chart hit, or host a drag karaoke night, the venue's licence is what makes that legal.

What it does not cover is anything beyond the room. A OneMusic licence does not extend to recording, livestreaming, broadcast, or using music in marketing and advertising. The instant you want to capture or transmit the music rather than simply play it to the people in front of you, you are into separate territory.

Recording, streaming, and marketing are separate

This is where most drag events trip up, so it is worth being blunt: filming or streaming a number is a different clearance from performing it.

Streaming a set online - a virtual drag show or a livestreamed performance - needs separate clearance. That usually comes from one of three places: the streaming platform's own music tools and licensing, an APRA AMCOS online or broadcast licence category, or direct licensing arranged with the rights holders.
Marketing and advertising - using a track in a promo reel, a paid ad, or a sponsored post - is not covered by the venue's public-performance licence either. Music used to sell or promote needs its own clearance.
Recordings you keep or share - even a clip posted afterwards uses both the musical work and the sound recording, and those uses sit outside the in-room licence.

When in doubt, assume the OneMusic licence covers the live moment in the room and nothing else. Anything that travels needs its own paperwork.

Covers, original songs, and merch

Performing a cover of someone else's song live in a licensed venue is covered by that venue's public-performance licence - that is exactly what it is for. You do not need to clear a cover separately to perform it on stage.

Performing your own original song live needs no extra clearance to perform - it is your work. But the moment you record, release or sell it, you are dealing with separate rights: the mechanical right in the composition and the master right in the recording. Putting your single on streaming services or pressing it onto merch is a release, not a performance, and the live-singing performance you do on stage is governed by different rules than the track you sell at the merch table.

Music videos and sync licensing

A music video or any media appearance that sets visuals to a track needs two clearances that the venue licence never touches: a sync licence for the musical work and a master licence for the sound recording. These are usually arranged directly through the publisher (for the work) and the label (for the recording), and they are entirely separate from public performance. Budget time for this - sync and master clearances are negotiated, not automatic, and they can take weeks.

Who is responsible

The licensing chain only works if someone owns each link. As the event organiser, you must confirm who holds the music licence before you promote the event. For a show in an established drag venue, that is almost always the venue itself - but confirm it in writing rather than assume. For a one-off event, an outdoor show, a pop-up, or any unusual space that may not hold a standing licence, you may need to arrange an event licence with OneMusic yourself. The performer is responsible for knowing whether a number is being recorded or streamed and flagging anything that needs clearance beyond the room.

Quick-reference checklist

Useful links

OneMusic NZ - the joint public-performance music licence covering in-room playback and live performance; usually held by the venue.
APRA AMCOS (NZ) - performing and online rights in the musical work for songwriters, composers and publishers.
Recorded Music NZ - rights in the sound recording for recording artists and labels.
Equity New Zealand - the performers' union, for fair-pay and contract questions around recorded and streamed work.
Caluzzi Bar & Cabaret - an established Auckland drag venue that holds its own public-performance licence.
Ivy Bar & Cabaret - a Wellington drag and cabaret venue with a standing music licence.

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