Yashraj demands an exorbitant fee

doweshowbellyad=0; Tanushree Dutta (TOI Photo) More picsWhile four out of five of their films may have tanked at the box-office last year, the officials at Yash Raj Films (YRF) are keeping a close check on the usage of their soundtracks at public events.
Apparently, the production house was in a mood to make brisk business over the New Year’s eve extravaganzas and demanded exorbitant license fee from event management companies using their tracks.YRF representatives demanded Rs1.5 lakh from the organisers of a bash featuring Koena Mitra and Tanushree Dutta at a suburban five star hotel.
The story goes that Koena and Tanushree were supposed to dance to the tunes of the title track of Aaja Nachle and Kajra Re from Bunty Aur Babli. The organisers, who were seeking permission from various production houses for using their tracks for a commercial purpose, were in for a shock when YRF representatives instructed them to make an advance payment of Rs 3 lakh for the two tracks.
Vijay Singh, MD of Made In India Films Ltd, who organised the bash, says, “The representatives of YRF came to our office just two days before the final performance on Decemeber 31, 2007 with their rate card. They asked for a ridiculous amount of Rs 1.5 lakh per song. Understandably, it was a special event but it didn’t make sense to pay so much.”
Eventually, the actors had to drop the song and choreograph fresh acts two days before the final performance. Inder, who choreographed the acts at the bash informs, “Since we couldn’t get a license from YRF we were not allowed to use the songs. It created some inconvenience as we had to start working on new songs.”
The same organisers, however, paid Rs 75,000 towards the T-Series Public Performance License (TPPL) fee. Singh informs, “The T-Series license didn’t have any specific condition as such. For a fixed amount we could play any number of their songs at the event.” MM Satish, president of T-Series adds, “We have a rate card for various events. The New Year’s eve bashes fall under the special events category and fee is comparatively more than the usual events that happen throughout the year.”
The YRF spokesperson, when contacted, says, “YRF has a rate list, as others do, for usage of repertoire for concerts and major commercial events, particularly televised events. The rates vary, based on the usage.”