Phalguni Gupta | BeatCurry Team
What is being called as a watershed moment, T-Series has joined the Indian Performing Right Society Limited (IPRS) – a body that represents the community of music composers, lyricists and owner publishers of music. T-Series led by Mr Bhushan Kumar is India’s leading Music label and with this membership, it will bring IPRS a vast music library of more than 200,000 titles which includes 50,000 plus music videos, comprising more than 15000 hours of music. Let’s take a closer look into it. Read to find out.
The IPRS came into being on 23rd August 1969. It is a representative body of Owners of Music, viz. Composers, Lyricists (or Authors) and the Publishers of Music and acts as the sole authorized body to issue Licences for usage of Musical Works & Literary Music within the country. The whole purpose of the organization coming into existence was to keep up the fight for a better Copyright environment and awareness in the country. A Governing Council of Directors controls the Company’s policy and administration. The governing council is elected by the Members at General Meetings every year from amongst their own numbers, consisting of members who are authors, composers and publishers.
Under Sec 33 of the Copyright Act, 1957 IPRS is authorized to issue and grant licenses in respect of musical works and literary works associated with musical works assigned to it by its members, as well as to collect and distribute the authors’ statutory royalties, for the exploitation of these works either by way of live performances or sound recordings through any medium except when exhibited as a part of a cinematograph film shown in a cinema hall.”
Sony Music Entertainment India, Saregama India, Universal Music Publishing, Times Music and Aditya Music which are already a part of this society and now with T-series joining it is being celebrated as a historic moment.
The deal is being considered significant for Indian authors, composers, and music publishers as their works can now be legally licensed. With this membership, will come the ease of doing business with several music licensees which includes broadcasters, digital services, telecom companies and other small businesses. It will be a big shift from previously fragmented or often non-existent license fees percolating back to the creators via T-Series to a single window clearance system for underlying works.
IPRS will now have the charge to represent the T-Series music publishing catalogue of lyrics and musical works and license a wide variety of platforms and businesses which earlier exploit music in the country significantly enhancing the music publishing ecosystem in India.
In a statement released by IPRS Mr Javed Akhtar, Chairman of IPRS & renowned lyricist said – “I see this as a homecoming for T-Series and thank Mr Bhushan Kumar and the T-Series family from the bottom of my heart for entrusting IPRS with its copyright catalogue once again. This is a win-win proposition for T-Series and for our author and music composer members who will benefit tremendously. The entire music industry is united today in its determination that creators, music businesses all will work together for the common cause. I am joined by my fellow Directors of IPRS in saying I also look forward to welcoming Mr Bhushan Kumar on the Board of IPRS”.
“For great change to effectively happen in the publishing business of the Indian Music Industry, you need all the major players to band together to push the agenda of fairness, transparency & equitable remunerations for both owner publishers & our respected author composers” said Mr Devraj Sanyal, Managing Director & CEO, Universal Music Group, India & South Asia. He further added “Now with my dear friends Bhushan & team from T-Series joining us in IPRS, that day is here. With Javed Saab, Bhushan & all my fellow board members I’m sure we will now see a golden age dawn for creators & copyright owners”
IPRS shared a video of Shankar Mahadevan, Singer & Music composer in which he shared his thoughts saying “I am extremely happy to know that this T-series is a part of IPRS right now which means in all it’s an amazing feeling and an achievement because you know with the kind of amazing catalogue that T-Series has got which is more than two hundred thousand songs , I think the whole royalty situation in the country is going to improve drastically and musicians as in the authors and composer they going to really get benefit so I really thank T-Series for becoming part of IPRS and supporting the royalty distribution system in our country as per the laws.”
With T-Series joining hands with IPRS, it’s certainly a moment of joy, faith and celebration towards appreciating, acknowledging and rewarding the contributions of every single music industry professional through fair and transparent means of functioning.
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