AMA Continues Affiliation with Merged Australian Retail Council

29th May 2025

In 2024 the two major retail employer organisations, National Retail Association and Australian Retail Association, announced a merger. Both organisations currently perform a similar function with a similar purpose to support and represent retailers in Australia, with some differences in their structure, strengths and programs.

“It makes absolute sense to create one voice for retail, and to combine our strengths to support the growth of this vital sector which employs one in ten Australians,” said ARA president Nicole Sheffield at the time.

The AMA established a partnership with the National Retail Association in 2023, giving all AMA members additional membership of that organisation. There is no overlap or conflict in the activities of these two organisations, with the AMA having a clear purpose and set of activities that serve the needs of the music products industry, while the National Retail Association provides services and advocates for the retail sector more broadly. The two have worked together on helping members navigate the expanded plastic packaging ban in Western Australia, with the AMA focusing specifically on music products and the impact on retailers, distributors and manufacturers of these products.

The Australian Retailers Association and the National Retail Association are working through a transition, recently appointing CEO Designate Chris Rodwell and announcing that the new organisation will be named the Australian Retail Council (ARC). As registered organisations, there is a more involved process than many associations would deal with, the new entity is expected make the full transition later in 2025.

This week the AMA confirmed that the partnership will continue through the transition to the Australian Retail Council, with the current annual renewal of membership for the AMA and its members continuing through to May 2026. This means that AMA members affiliated with the NRA will become ARC members.

About the affiliation

  • Under this arrangement, AMA members become full members of the National Retail Association themselves,
  • The AMA pays the fee at a group rate,
  • All member benefits of both organisations (the Australian Music Association and National Retail Association) apply to these affiliated members, including:
    • AMA: Data and Insights including the Market Report and other resources, discount on events (Summit, Guitar Show), benefits from partners (ArtsPay, Marsh, Qantas, Virgin, Your Leasing Co etc), voting rights and more.
    • NRA: 1800 RETAIL hotline, member resources, discounts on events, voting rights and more.
  • The affiliated membership only applies to the AMA’s retail and wholesale (not associate) members,
  • AMA members can choose to opt out of the affiliation.
  • Read more about National Retail Association membership here.