APRA AMCOS Honours Eight Australian Songwriters With Billions Awards

Australian songwriters are continuing to dominate the global streaming economy, with eight APRA AMCOS members newly inducted into the organisation’s prestigious 1,000,000,000 List.

The initiative recognises songwriter members and publishers whose songs have surpassed one billion streams across major platforms including Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube. This year’s honourees include Amy and George Sheppard, Connie Mitchell, Jay Bovino, Kota Banks, Sarah Aarons, Stuart Crichton, and Taka Perry.

Among the biggest winners was songwriter Sarah Aarons, who received two Billions Awards. One was for Gracie Abrams’ breakout ballad “I Miss U, I’m Sorry”, while the second came via Ravyn Lenae’s “Love Me Not”, which Aarons co-wrote alongside Anderson .Paak and a wider team of collaborators. Aarons is published by Sony Music Publishing.

“Sarah is one of the most gifted songwriters we have the privilege of working with, and it’s no surprise to see her reach these milestones,” said Sony Music Publishing Australia Managing Director Damian Trotter.

“To have her name on records by both Ravyn Lenae and Gracie Abrams, two of the most compelling artists in contemporary music, speaks to her range and the depth of her writing. We couldn’t be prouder.”

Brisbane sibling duo Sheppard also celebrated a major milestone, with Amy and George Sheppard and co-writer Jay Bovino recognised for their enduring hit “Geronimo”. Released more than a decade ago, the track remains one of Australia’s biggest global pop exports and previously won APRA Music Awards for Most Played Australian Work and Pop Work of the Year in 2015.

“It’s been an amazing journey for us, and to have the amazing team that we've had, getting to bring joy to people for the last 14 years, it's a dream come true,” George Sheppard said. “Thank you so much for this amazing honour.”

Mushroom Music Publishing Co-CEO Linda Bosidis added: “Songs that reach a billion streams become part of people’s lives and Geronimo has done exactly that. It captured something joyful and universal, continuing to connect with audiences year after year.”

Elsewhere, Sneaky Sound System vocalist Connie Mitchell was honoured for co-writing Kanye West’s 2007 track “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”, while Kota Banks and Taka Perry earned recognition for KATSEYE’s viral global hit “TOUCH”, which exploded online after a TikTok dance trend in 2024.

“We wrote ‘TOUCH’ a few years ago at my old studio in Glebe,” Perry said while accepting the award.

“At the time I was a huge K-pop fan and I wanted to write some K-pop demos. I hit up Kota (Banks), and I was like, ‘Do you want to come to the studio and work on a few songs together?’ And one of those songs was ‘TOUCH’.”

Concord Music Publishing ANZ songwriter Stuart Crichton was also recognised for Kygo’s “Stargazing”, continuing a strong run following his APRA Music Award win earlier this year for Most Performed Dance/Electronic Work.

APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormston said the milestone highlighted just how dramatically the music business has evolved over the organisation’s 100-year history.

“When APRA’s founding publishers first met 100 years ago in 1926, they could never have imagined we’d be here in 2026 celebrating songwriters and publishers for reaching one billion streams,” Ormston said. “It’s an extraordinary achievement, especially given the sheer volume of music released every day – both human and AI-generated.”