PPL expands base, to issue warning notice against unauthorised playing of music

With the New Year fast approaching, the Phonographic Performance Ltd (PPL) will first issue public notice for hotels, night clubs and other establishments to get a proper licence from it for playing copyrighted music, said a top company official.

He also said the members of South Indian Music Companies Association (SIMCA) has entered an agreement for monetising its public performance rights with the PPL.

"The PPL owns, as assignee the right to licence public performance and radio broadcasting of more than 2.9 lakh international and Indian songs (sound recordings)," Rajak Kakar, President and CEO told the media here on Wednesday.

He said PPL is expanding its membership base and the entry of members of SIMCA is part of that expansion drive. Post SIMCA tie-up, PPL's number of members has crossed 300.

"We have 89 members in all the southern states who own the rights for over one lakh songs. Earlier, our focus was on preventing piracy," Rajesh S. Dhupad, Joint Secretary, SIMCA said.

Dhupad said SIMCA members command more than 60 per cent market share in the South Indian music market.

Kakar said PPL has the rights covering various language music including English, Spanish, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Punjabi, Marathi, Malayalam, Bhojpuri and others - including film and non-film songs.

The licensing system has been considerably eased with online licensing being tested, Kakar said.

According to PPL, public performance licensing is its focus business area which is expected to deliver around 25-30 per cent growth in 2018-19.

"Globally, the sound recording companies get about 25-30 per cent revenues from public performance licensing. But in India, it is in single digits," Kakar said.

He said the Indian music industry is about Rs 850 crore of which nearly 50 per cent is film music.

Kakar said PPL does not conduct raids on establishments that plays music to detect copyright violations like software companies but has audit teams that would do a diligent work based on which the violators are issued notice.

--IANS

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