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Performing rights
The Indian Performing Rights Society gets music-makers their due — playback singer T.M. Soundararajan with actress Kushboo and the society's Director, Naushad Ali.
IN A fair world, a creative offering such as a successful film song would be a cash cow to the creator. In other words, it would continue to provide him a substantial sum by way of royalties. But the reality is that most of the time music composers and lyricists are not paid a brass farthing by those who make use of their creations.
The Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS) is a national organisation that strives to ensure that these "music-makers" get their due. By associating with the IPRS, they enjoy the fruits of its activism. On Wednesday, the IPRS assembled for its annual meeting at the GRT Grand Days. A few singers and music composers - B. Nagi Reddy, T.M. Soundararajan, T.K. Ramamurthy, Piraisudan, Kaalidaasan and S.A. Rajkumar - were honoured. Naushad Ali, chairman, IPRS, gave away the awards to all but Nagi Reddy, who could not attend the meeting, as he was indisposed. The issue of royalties and remixes dominated the meeting. According to Sanjay Tandon, director general of the IPRS, the society had collected Rs. eight crores as royalties this year. But next year the collection would touch Rs. 15 crores. The reason being that cellular operators are going to be charged for the ring tones that have the creative seal of IPRS members. For every download, a cellular company has to pay Rs. 1.50.
Mr. Tandon said that when IPRS's entreaties that the rightful royalties be given to its members fell on deaf ears, it was forced to go to court against the errant parties. "It has so far obtained 36 injunctions against these offenders, preventing them from playing its members's music," he said. "Remixes which were created by sound engineers who know a little about sound but nothing about music is a canker on originality and creativity," said Mr. Tandon. "Earlier, the number of remix videos were a drop in the ocean and therefore their effect was insignificant. But today the problem has plumbed the depths as remixes are being turned out in prodigious numbers."
The IPRS has taken up the matter with the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani.
Already, the IPRS has ensured that organisers of live music shows take a licence from the society before they conduct their programmes.
Later, video clippings of the songs that had received creative inputs from the awardees were screened. Actress Kushboo was the chief guest. Vaalee, R. Vairamuthu, M.S. Vishwanathan, Shravan Rathod, Deva, Sonik-Omi, Jollee Abraham and Shankar Ganesh were among the others who were present.
From Prince Frederick
in Chennai
Photo: R. Ragu
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Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
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