The Indian Performing Right Society Limited (IPRS) has been protecting the rights of Composers, Songwriters, and Publishers since 1969. Now, the organisation has launched an initiative to inform, educate and empower its members through a series of pan-India workshops.
Chennai was the first destination of the first Learn and Earn workshop on May 4th, 2022 with members from Tamil music industry, including top-line composers, songwriters, publishers, along with IPRS members.
The focal point of discussion centred around copyright in music and related areas like licensing, emerging trends and technological advancements as well as the role of the IPRS in protecting creators’ rights and their rightful dues.
Commenting on the initiative and IPRS’s role as a Copyright Society, Seven-time National Award-winning lyricist, legendary poet and IPRS member Shri Vairamuthu Ramasamy said, “The IPRS is an Akshaya Pathram – meaning inexhaustible vessel for creators with the intention to educate them. Music makers are creative people who dream big without being aware of the Indian law. They are also ignorant of the basic rights they possess. However, the IPRS acts as our legal body and fights for the royalty of uninformed music creators. They also take up the responsibility to educate music authors, composers about various jargons such as royalty, intellectual property, etc.”
He continued, “Music creators [with more than] 100 songs can lead a happy life with the royalty that he earns for those songs. Not many people are aware of the same. I extend my gratitude to the entire IPRS team for their immense effort to assist many families that were hit hardest during the pandemic.”
Rakesh Nigam, CEO, IPRS said, “The Indian music industry has been evolving dynamically and has been a home ground for some of the most celebrated songwriters and composers across geographies. The Tamil Music Industry is creating a big impact with songs transcending geographies in popularity and setting a benchmark for others to follow. While the industry is growing, it is equally important that songwriters and composers are well aware of their rights. With this initiative, we aim to drive awareness of music copyright and licensing while helping our members to upskill through knowledge and know-how. At IPRS, our primary focus will be to create more opportunities for our members and pave the path towards a strong ecosystem that will help our members and the Indian music industry.”
Nigam added, “The Financial Year 21-22 has been watershed in the history of the IPRS with its earnings, recording a growth of around 85% from Rs 169.8 crores in FY 20-21 to Rs 310+ crores in FY 21-22. Streaming/OTT platforms have been the major contributors to the total income of FY 21-22.
It was also the year that saw the Royalty payouts break the Rs 200 crores mark as they bested 210 crores compared to the previous year’s Rs 183.3 crores. IPRS also provided relief funds to its members. Financial aid amounting to Rs 6.2 crores to around 3,900 author members during the FY21-22 to softened the impact of the loss of income caused due to the Covid pandemic.”
Songwriter Mayur Puri said, “The IPRS is the single loudest and most important voice of the music creator community. Today, the music industry is getting more and more decentralised every day and as mandated by our visionary chairperson Shri Javed Akhtar saab, it is imperative for all of us at IPRS to step up our diversity and inclusion initiatives. ‘Learn and Earn’ is a series of full-day, multi-city workshops designed to empower our members to not just survive but thrive in this creator economy. This is the first time an epic endeavour of this scale and such comprehensive content is planned to bring the community together, and we hope to see thousands of music makers benefit from this.”
The next workshop will be held at Hyderabad. Visit IPRS for more details.
