MMX launched in Punjab to curb music piracy

To put a check on music piracy in mobile downloads, Music Mobile Exchange (MMX) has launched its licensing services in Punjab.

Savio D’Souza, secretary general, Indian Music Industry (IMI), said MMX licensing would help in curbing the growth of illegitimate music content on mobile chips.

MMX services have already been rolled out in Andhra Pradesh in 2009 where 650 shopkeepers have been issued licences

Punjab is the second state where such services have been launched. Next, the services would be rolled out in West Bengal.

“MMX office has been opened in Chandigarh and mobile stores and retailers offering mobile music services could obtain licence from office to sell music without infringing the copyright act,” D’Souza added.

MMX licence could be taken for a period of one to three years at a cost ranging from Rs 1500-5,000 per month/computer depending on the kind of shop and its location.

MMX currently has seven music members as its partners — Saregama, Aditya Music, Tips, Venus, EMI, Sony and Universal — which account for a significant share of the copyright titles being pirated.

Savio D’Souza added that IMI was the first enforcement agency in the world to acknowledge this new format of piracy and had registered more than 1,000 cases against mobile chip piracy.

He said as of now, the music downloads and other music applications being done by mobile stores as well as individual retailers were illegal as they were selling music that was not legitimate.

According to IMI, the music industry of the country was losing Rs 300 crore each year by mobile chip piracy.

With India currently having more than 440 million mobile subscribers and approximately 45-50 per cent of the phone models in the market capable of music transfers, music piracy could gain gigantic form if it grew unhindered.

To put a check on mobile chip piracy, MMX has launched the services of mobile licensing.

The legitimate MMX licence would enable mobile stores and shopkeepers sell music without violating the copyright act.

MMX, which has already issued 650 licence in Andhra Pradesh, has also partnered with 700 Hotspot mobile stores where the copyright music would be sold. The company is holding negotiations with other mobile stores as well.