Producers too want rights over film music

Telugu film producers have set forth their claim over film music as a piece of intellectual property (IP), arguing that such music is composed in the context of a particular film and so forms part of it.

The issue of rights over film music has come into sharp focus with the proposed amendment to the Copyright Act 1957 including a provision to give “independent rights to authors of literary and musical works in cinematograph films.”

Contesting this provision, D Suresh Babu, executive council member, AP Film Producers Council, made a representation on June 20 to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on human resource development which is examining the amendment.

Speaking to Business Standard on the sidelines of Mirchi Music Awards here on Monday, he indicated that film music was different from independent, standalone albums, and so cannot be treated entirely as the IP of the lyricist or the music director. He argued for a shared holding of the copyright by producer, as well as the lyricist and music director of a given film.

The rights to commercial exploitation of music that a copyright includes were hitherto with the producers of films, Suresh Babu said, adding that the revenues from selling music were hit by rampant piracy. “It is as much as 85 per cent,” he said.

The recent initiatives by the state government to control video and audio piracy will take time to prove their effectiveness, he said, conceding that the issue centred on easy access to digital technologies and the internet.

The Telugu film industry is about Rs 1,000 crore in size, and the film music component may come up to Rs 150 crore, according to Suresh Babu, who said it was difficult to put an exact number to it.

Mirchi Music Awards, sponsored by Radio Mirchi, an FM channel of the Times group, would be given for the first time for film music in four southern languages. According to Prashant Panday, CEO, Entertainment Network (India) Ltd, an arm of the Times group, the awards in up to 13 categories would be presented in Chennai on July 17.