Music body wants DJs, clubs, restaurants and malls to obtain licenses to play copyrighted music
|Published
SAMRO said businesses who play music and do not comply with the protected rights will face the consequences. Picture: Samro
DURBAN - THE Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO) wants pubs, clubs, restaurants and shopping malls to pay their fair share in royalties.
SAMRO said the businesses who play music and do not comply with the protected rights would face the consequences.
Chief Executive of SAMRO Mark Rosin said laws governing the use of protected music rights in South Africa need to change.
“Mobile DJ’s, clubs, restaurants, shopping malls and other businesses must obtain the requisite license to play copyrighted music for public consumption,” he said.
He said there is a tendency by business owners in the country to view such transgressions as minor with little to no consequences for breaches of copyright.
He issued a warning and said: “SAMRO is going to take steps against businesses that are found to be non-compliant.”
Rosin further said purchasing a music usage licence from SAMRO permits users to play music publicly at their venues or businesses.
He added that the licence fees collected are passed on to the creators that composed the music as royalty income.
"If you play any music to a public audience that is not written, created, performed, published, and recorded by you, then it belongs to the music creator, and you need a licence. People don’t mind paying for stock, and music has to be seen as part of the “stock” of a business that uses it,” he said.
He said by supporting music creators, you are helping to create a healthy music industry for the creators, by ensuring that they reap the benefits of their work.
He said during the 2020 financial year, which ended in June, SAMRO was able to collect R400 million for distribution which shows that they have been able to maximise value for their members.
“These figures clearly demonstrate that we are making progress in maximising value for our members. However, we would like to see other businesses contribute their fair share,” he said.
THE MERCURY