Event, copyright firms spar over Bollywood songs at weddings
NEW DELHI : A recent government notice saying Bollywood songs can be played at weddings without a copyright licence has revived an age-old tussle between the event management industry and music copyright societies. The public notice issued by the Department for Promotion, Industry and Internal Trade is a blow to the music industry facing minuscule revenues from streaming services, radio and television, and battling piracy, say copyright societies.
Event management companies led by the Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA), meanwhile, point out that weddings are not commercial events, and there is no provision to charge them in the Copyright Act. Meanwhile, public performances only make up 2-5% of revenues of music labels, which don’t want to make the effort to pursue these legalities.
The music copyright and licensing ecosystem in Indiais led by players such as PPL India (Phonographic Performance Ltd), IPRS (The Indian Performing Right Society Ltd) and Novex Communications. “The Copyright Act of 1957 clearly exempts music played in weddings and religious ceremonies from licensing charges, and it is only after the covid-19 pandemic that these bodies started sending notices to five-star hotels asking for money.
We welcome the notice because this coercion needed to be long stopped and we had made representations for the same," said Siddhartha Chaturvedi, founder and chief executive of Event Crafter, and a member of EEMA. Chaturvedi added that weddings are not commercial activities and, in fact, a means for music to gain more virality among listeners.
Read more on livemint.com
