During this period, a simmering disagreement between commercial radio stations – represented by the Federation of Australian Radio Broadcasters (FARB) – and the six largest record labels – represented by Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) – resulted in major United Kingdom and Australian pop songs being refused airplay.
[1][2] The government-owned Australian Broadcasting Corporation – which had its own copyright and royalty arrangement with recording and music publishing companies – did not take part in the dispute.
[1] Teen-oriented pop music newspaper Go-Set reported on the dispute: it interviewed affected musicians and its journalists argued for the removal of the ban.
1 for nine weeks to be displaced by "Yellow River" – originally by Christie – which was covered by two Australian groups, Jigsaw (from Melbourne) and Autumn (from Sydney).
Following the enactment of the new Copyright Act 1968, a group of recording companies – including most of the members of the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) – decided to scrap a long-standing royalty agreement with commercial radio stations that dated back to the 1950s.
[1][2] The government-owned Australian Broadcasting Corporation – which had its own copyright and royalty arrangement with recording and music publishing companies – did not take part in the dispute.
[5] Fellow columnist and compiler of the Go-Set National Top 40, Ed Nimmervoll, predicted that its charts would be compromised as local artists' record sales were dependent on radio play.
[2] Darryl Cotton, lead singer of pop group Zoot was concerned that the public would be unaware of new releases by local acts.
[7] Another singer, Russell Morris, criticised the policy which led to the ban, "[the Government] didn't realise that the pop recording market is a very large and important industry".
[7] As from 30 May, Nimmervoll's charts in Go-Set were based on direct surveying of large record-selling stores instead of relying on radio stations' Top 40s.