Jig without music this New Year Eve

Party revellers might have to do a jig without music at New Year bashes this time.

Party revellers might have to do a jig without music at New Year bashes this time.

The Phonographic Performance Ltd PPL, the apex-licensing arm of the Indian Music Industry IMI, has served legal notices to a number of pubs and other venues in Mumbai and Pune for defaulting on payment of the music license fees which is paid for playing music at their parties.

According to PPL, several major suburban venues have been sent the notice in Mumbai and Pune. 8220;The Music Industry is going through a very bad phase and it is unfair that while individuals don8217;t mind paying a bomb for food and drinks, they hesitate to pay for intellectual property rights,8221; said Vipul Pradhan, CEO, PPL. Besides Mumbai and Pune, according to PPL, legal notices have also been issued to hotels and pubs in Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Jaipur, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Goa, Bhubaneswar and Siliguri among other cities.

PPL also states that playing copyright music without permission from the apex body is a liable contempt of court under section 35 of the Copyright Act, while non-payment of fees could lead to up to 3 years imprisonment and a fine of rupees two lakh. IMI that was formulated to administer the broadcast, telecast and public performance rights of its member companies that totals to over 140.

8220;Musical nights and customised New Year packages are some of the most prolific means of revenue for pubs and hotels. A New Year8217;s bash can8217;t be imagined without music, but when it comes to paying for the commercial use of music, the profit makers choose to evade license fees,8221; said Avinash, D8217;souza, Business Manager, PPL.

8220;The pity is that even consumers and partygoers do not realise that this results in losses for artists and music companies,8221; he added.

However, people associated with the hospitality and restaurant business say that such notices are way of harassing them as it happens only around New Year8217;s eve when the venues gear up for their annual galas. 8220;Whenever New Year is around, we have people coming and asking for such fees. If clubs or restaurants are required to pay such fees, then they should get it right from day one and not wait for only this time,8221; said Joe Sequeira, Assistant General Manager, Not Just Jazz by the Way, a city-based pubs. 8220;In fact, it should be added as one of the mandatory licences required to run a club8221; Sequeira added.