- The IPRS recently held its knowledge workshop in Kolkata as part of its year-long pan-India initiative titled ‘Learn and Earn’. The session was aimed at educating and empowering songwriters, composers and publishers on topics related to music rights and the latest trends shaping the careers of music makers
- Debojyoti Mishra, Satarupa Sanyal, Debjit Roy, Rajkumar Roy along with Mr. Rakesh Nigam, executive team, key members from the region and Board of Directors graced the event
Kolkata, 07th June 2022: The Indian Performing Right Society Limited (“IPRS”) has always been concerned with the welfare of its members and has been protecting the rights of Composers, Songwriters, and Publishers since 1969 – the year of its inception. To see talented creators suffer for lack of knowledge about their rights and opportunities is truly disturbing and got them thinking about the corrective measures needed to rectify the situation.
As a responsible Copyright Society, the IPRS was keenly aware of the economic turbulence its members went through during the pandemic. The Society also observed the multitude of doubts and queries its members had, in this rapidly transforming music landscape. Stemming from this concern, a need to launch the initiative to inform, educate and empower its members emerged. Reaching out to its members through this initiative became one of the prime objectives of the IPRS.
Initiating the journey in this direction, the IPRS decided to start a series of workshops for its members. The pan-India Workshops will be a great eye-opener for IPRS members, benefitting their creative journey and career. The Knowledge Workshop aptly titled “Learn and Earn” has taken off successfully in Kolkata.
This workshop was the next in line after the music-crazy cities of Chennai and Hyderabad, where the first of these intensive “Learn and Earn” workshops were held in early May. Kolkata with its sterling musical legacy among other art forms like literature, theatre has been heralded as the Cultural Capital of India. Global cultural icons like Kobiguru Rabindranath Tagore & Satyajit Ray, amongst others, have added new dimensions to the alluring appeal of this “City Of Joy”. As expected, the rich musical tradition of Bengal is embedded with some of the most astounding musical creators across genres like classical, folk, Bangla rock music, and also includes genre-defying independent artists- all of whom arrived in droves for this important event. The aura of the crème de la crème of the music industry, especially from Bengal, including top-line composers, songwriters, publishers, and all reputed IPRS members, made the meet all the more significant.
The focal point of discussion at the workshop centred around copyright in music and related areas like music licensing, emerging trends and technological advancements in the digital era, and the role of the IPRS in protecting creators’ rights and their rightful dues.
Talking about the initiative Singer, Songwriter and Music Director, Mr. Anupam Roy said, “The music of Bengal is wide and varied. Music creators from multiple genres and regions have contributed to the vast repertoire of Bengali music for time immemorial. Unfortunately though, most songwriters and composers are unaware of their rights and the various facets of the music industry instrumental in fuelling their creativity.
The Learn and Earn campaign launched by IPRS is a great initiative to create awareness about the rights of Creators and Music Publishers. Musicians associated with the Music industry in India are oblivious of the benefits and role of a copyright society and the rights assigned by the Copyright Law. Ignorance is not an excuse anymore, and I’m glad that IPRS is organising knowledge workshops for its members to upskill and excel.”
Applauding the campaign, renowned songwriter Mr. Mayur Puri added, “IPRS is the most vocal and important voice of the music creator community. Today, the music industry is getting more and more decentralized every day. 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, multicity 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.”
Addressing the press conference Mr. 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. Fuelling this growth is regional music, as it transcends borders and creates new benchmarks with its increasing popularity. The Bengali music industry, with a pool of talented creators, is a major player in this newfound success.
While the industry scales new heights it is mandatory that songwriters and composers are fully cognizant of their rights. This initiative is targeted at driving awareness of music copyright and licensing while helping IPRS 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 robust ecosystem that will propel them and the Indian music industry to greater heights.”
Mr. Nigam further added, “The Financial Year 21-22 has been a watershed event in the history of the IPRS with its earnings, recording a growth of around 85% from INR 169.8 crores in FY 20-21 to INR 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 pay-outs break the INR 200 crores mark as they bested 210 crores compared to the previous year INR 183.3 crores. IPRS also went on to provide relief funds to its members. Financial aid amounting to INR 6.2 Crores was distributed to around 3900 author members during the FY21-22 to soften the impact of the loss of income caused due to the Covid pandemic.”