Puja pandals and 'Dandiya' organisers to pay music royalty

All Durga Puja pandals in the city and 'Dandiya' programmes where music will be played for commercial purposes will now have to shell out royalty fee to the Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS).

Under the Copyright Act, 1957, the society is the exclusive licensing authority for public performances of live or recorded tracks. They collect royalty fees from hotels, restaurants, pubs, shopping malls, etc for playing commercial music and distribute it to lyricists, composers and music companies.

"Besides all 'Dandiya' events, we have issued notices to even Durga Puja pandals where the organisers have band performances or other musical events will have to pay this royalty fees," Avishek Basu, regional manager of IPRS, said.

The statutory body has already approached a number of puja pandals in the city out of which big names like the ones in Deshapriyo Park, Maddox Square, Ballygunge Cultural Association and Golf Green have paid their dues.

"But those organising 'Dandiya' are very reluctant to pay," Basu said adding that out of the big five 'Dandiya' events, only two of them have obliged.

"Acting against their complaint, City Civil Court has recently ordered the organisers of the remaining three 'Dandiya' events, Nalban's 'Dandiaotsav 2012' and 'Jhalak 2012' and Taaza Infotainment's Dandiya programme at Netaji Indoor Stadium, not to play music without obtaining the mandatory music licence from IPRS," he said.

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