Think twice before you remix songs

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">NEW DELHI: It''s <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Kaanta Laga</span> time for the burgeoning music remix industry. As part of effort to tighten copyright laws concerning remix music and videos of popular songs, a draft with Ministry of Human Resources Development on revisions to Indian Copyright Law proposes to enhance the royalty payment to performing artistes.<br /><br />The royalty payment has been hiked to 20 per cent from present level of 5 per cent.The draft also proposes a minimum run of five years for the original copy before a remix is allowed, apart from making it mandatory to seek prior consent of the original artiste before undertaking a remix.<br /><br />A committee set up by the HRD Ministry, to suggest measures to tighten copyright laws that includes representatives from the music and entertainment industry, has also stressed on spreading the awareness about paying royalty for public performance of music.<br /><br />The Indian Performing Right Society that collects royalty on behalf of artistes and various music labels expects to shore up the collections kitty from royalty and licences to around Rs 20 crore by June2004, as against Rs 12 crore in 2002-03, with better enforcement of copyright laws in the country.<br /><br />Faced with sagging sales, the Indian music industry had taken to remixes in a major way to shore up sales. <br /></div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal"><br />However, several leading artistes like Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle and Kavita Krishnamurthy, have not taken kindly to remix of their music titles and the way the songs were picturised.<br /><br />According to Sanjay Tandon, director general, IPRS, Indian music performers were also loosing out on royalty payments for music used in foreign countries as there was no way of repatriation of the royalty. <br /><br />All India Radio which regularly pays royalty for all English and other foreign language music used on its network is now waking up to pay royalty to Indian performers.<br /><br />Of the 5 per cent collected now as royalty, the amount is divided equally between composer, lyric writer, title producer and the audio/video publisher. <br /><br />FM Radio stations currently pay around Rs 750 for every hour of music they air while five-star hotels are charged Rupee One per room per day.<br /></div> </div><div class="section3"><div class="Normal"><br />Ring tone downloads are new emerging revenue source for performers and music companies, with nearly 3 million downloads this year. Volume- wise, ring tone downloads through mobile phones and websites are growing by 100 per cent, month-on-month basis, as per industry estimates.<br /><br />The Indian music industry has been fighting the bane of piracy having lost an estimated Rs 1,800 crore to "illegitimate" music over the last three years. <br /><br />Over the last two years, the industry has suffered a loss of 27 per cent in unit terms and 38 per cent in value terms. The Rs 600 crore legitimate industry spends around Rs 5 crore annually over anti-piracy measures.<br /><br />Music industry is also working to undertake workshops across the country to "educate" law enforcing agencies, lawyers and judges on IPR related issues. The Indian government is expected to announce stricter copyright laws over the next couple of months.</div> </div>