Editorial

Dear Songmakers,

Songs are like perfumes. A perfume maker tries to capture the essence of a flower or a spice in a small bottle. It’s an arduous task, but once a perfume is bottled, it is ready to make every space better by just being released in the air. It is the same with songs. A songwriter tries to capture the essence of feelings, emotions, and human experience then distils this essence into a small bunch of notes and words and creates a song that makes every space better by just existing. Well, some songs are noisier than others, just like some perfumes are more robust than others. What I’m trying to say is, song-makers like you and me make our world a better place by just existing, and they need to be celebrated, coveted, and rewarded. IPRS and other royalty collection companies across the globe exist expressly to serve this purpose. The good thing is, our IPRS is holding its neck high above amongst its peers. Just this year, IPRS has been called ‘the fastest growing’ royalty collection agency in the world by CISAC. From collecting a mere 34 crores in 2017 to collecting and distributing around 175 crores this year! Yes, IPRS is growing very, very fast. And it couldn’t have happened without your support and the visionary leadership of its Board of directors.

As you all know, there is a constant effort of this Board to bring world-class transparency to our company. The most crucial step towards it was developing our member portal. Having to deal with over 7000 members, and millions of songs running into trillions of streams, the IPRS data team has its task cut out. And it’s not easy by any yardstick. But they have been working very hard, and I’ve been told that our database has over 95% accuracy now. This means we are in control of knowing which song is played where, how many times, and the accurate royalty to be paid out. This sounds easy, but trust me (I’ve sat with the data team and seen them working), it is a very, very meticulous task. But why should you take my word for it? The proof of the pudding is here. Our member portal is ready, and all members will get their ids and passwords to access it. All your works are there to see, and there are ‘raise a query’ buttons on each page so that if you find any discrepancy, you can immediately notify the IPRS team for quick and fair resolution of disputes. For more details, check out the ‘From IPRS Desk’ section in this issue. In the ‘Behind The Scenes’ section, our team tells you about the portal in detail.

I am happy and proud to say that once again, we have managed to put together a lot of resourceful information for you in this issue of KHANAK.

There is an insightful interview with Shri Aditya Gupta (Aditya Music), who enlightens us about the digital revolution’s impact and its implications for regional Music.

In our regular column #AskAmeet, our resident legal expert Shri Ameet Dutta sir explains the fundaments of Music Licensing.

This month, the Creators’ Corner section focuses on women in Music and introduces three remarkable women – Satrupa Sanyal Ji, Bindhu Malini Ji, and Parvathy Ji. Don’t miss reading the fascinating insights they give us from their experience.

IPRS organized an excellent session under our running endeavor #HerMusic called “Grab The Moneyball… Before it falls,” featuring fantastic panelists Soumini Sridhara Paul (VP Hungama Digital) and Heena Kriplani (Head, Tunecore India). We bring you highlights from this session in our ‘Expert’s Pick’ section in this issue. This section is an excellent resource for all indie artists trying to enter the industry by the D-I-Y method. .

Our FAQ section deals with questions on registrations of work and updates to your IPRS membership. And finally, don’t miss out on the highly informative articles in the ‘Stories From The Industry’ section.

Like I said earlier, this issue is also jam-packed with resources and information for you. A fellow songwriter recently told me that each issue of ‘Khanak’ is a collector’s item. Yes, my friends, that’s precisely the intention behind this newsletter! KHANAK is not a shallow gossip magazine or a platform for propaganda. KHANAK means business.

Thank you once again for all your love and support. Do write to us, what more we can do to make KHANAK better.

The festival season is upon us, and I’m sure the pre-Diwali distribution from IPRS must have brought you a lot of joy. So, let me sign off, wishing you luck for many more fat distributions in the years to come!

Happy Diwali, and may the light be always with you!

Love,

Mayur Puri.

Mumbai.
August, 2021.