IPRS Newsmailer

Dear Music Lovers!

You are looking at the special ‘IPRS anniversary’ volume of Khanak! Yes, being incorporated on 23rd August 1969, IPRS recently celebrated its 52nd Anniversary.This volume of Khanak is again an information-packed one – a treasure trove to be preserved. But more about what’s inside, in a moment. First, let me tell you about something very cool.

From ‘BusspanKaPyar’ to ‘Manike Mage Hithe,’ the last few weeks have been a treat for trends in music. And I love all that is trending, all that is popular, because the more the music plays, the more of our fraternity members hear cha-ching, or, ahem, ‘Khanak’! But having said that, it is crucial to look beyond the trends and find good music that might not be trending. So, we started the #KnowYourMusic campaign last month. And that’s the cool thing I want to talk about.

Dear Members and Friends,

On the happy occasion of the 52nd Anniversary of IPRS, I would like to congratulate the Governing Board, Lyricists, Composers, Publishers and the administration for the exceptional and if I may say so almost miraculous growth of IPRS even during these difficult times.

Being the Chairman of IPRS,I can see that this could be possible only because of the perfect harmony, understanding and trust among the different segments of IPRS and unconditional support of overwhelming majority of the members. Nevertheless, I would like to specially congratulate Mr. Nigam and his team for their marvelous performance.

Dear members, even on this happy occasion we should not forget that although we have come a long way, we still have to go a long way.

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The landscape of copyright licensing and royalty collection is vast and complex, to say the least. A composer or author can be liable to fetch royalty from various sources globally. These sources work under their copyright laws. It would make it challenging for an individual composer or author to collect their dues. Here is where a CMO steps in.

What exactly is a CMO, and what is its role?
‘CMO’ stands for Collective Management Organization. A collection society that enables copyright owners and administrators to collect royalties generated by several types of use.
As an organisation, a CMO is owned and operated by its members and needs to conduct its business fairly. It has to be legally authorized to collect the due royalties on behalf of its members.

A few examples of CMOs include GEMA (Germany), SACEM (France), and SUISA (Switzerland).

The name AlokeshLahiri will not ring a bell to most ears. But once you refer to him as ‘Bappi’ all eyes will light up.

BappiLahiri or Bappi Da, as fondly called, recently completed 50 years as a composer. A commendablefeat by any music creator.

A child prodigy, Bappi Da hails from a musical family. His parents, Aparesh and Bansuri Lahiri were famous Bengali singers and musicians and trained in Indian classical music and ShyamaSangeet. They initiated him into music at an early age. Under their tutelage, Bappi Da started learning the nuances of the tabla at the tender age of 3.

“It was only due to the influence of my parents that I was attracted to music. They are my only gurus. It’s their blessings and the love of the people that made BappiLahiri who he is today,” said the legendary composer humbly.

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As seen new avenues come with opportunities as well as challenges. While digital platforms opened the path for aspiring as well as established artists to explore the international music world, they also posed the challenge of infringement or piracy.

Copyright is one of the most important Intellectual Property Right which denotes the rights possessed by the creators for literary and artistic works. In our new monthly series #AskAmeet with leading IP lawyer, Ameet Datta we will try and explain the legal aspects surrounding the music industry in as simple terms as possible.

In the first session titled, Management of Rights in the Digital Era, we will highlight the challenges, unknown & lesser-known facts related to IP rights and copyright infringement in the digital domain, the remedies, and the enhanced role of CMOs in the digital era. Below are a few highlights.Please click here to view the entire video: https://youtu.be/BCBtJ4clpAA

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The last year has been filled with struggle, patience, hope, and prayers. While being holed up inside our homes, we found unconventional and untried mediums to resume work. The workplaces might have been shut but the work never did. Especially at IPRS. We, at IPRS, took it as a challenge to wade through the unprecedented crisis and help our members as much as we can.

IPRS distributed over Rs. 180 crores as royalty amongst its members in the past year. To support its author and composer members, The Indian Performing Right Society Ltd. (IPRS) announced the release of an ‘Emergency Covid Relief Fund’, amounting to nearly Rs 6 crores in 3 instalments.
Speaking about the same, Rakesh Nigam, CEO, IPRS, said,
“Taking the current crisis into consideration IPRS announced the release of an emergency relief package for its author and composer members across cities, who were struggling to earn enough due to the nationwide crisis.”

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