A host of leading music directors of the Malayalam film industry have come down heavily upon the singers in the controversial royalty issue.
“The demand by Indian Singers Rights Association (ISRA) cannot be accepted”, stated Rahul Raj, president of FEFKA music directors union, at a press conference held here on Tuesday.
The protest from music directors came after ISRA issued a statement that the playback singers have to be paid a royalty for playing any song recorded after 1963, played on TV, radio or digital platforms for commercial purpose from September 5.
“Lyricists, composer and producer or the publisher are the real royalty owners of a song.
“It is the music director who converts a situation into the form of a song by conceiving its mood as demanded by a director. Indian Singers Rights Association is raising its demand again by completely ignoring the role of music directors behind a song.
A large number of music lovers have pledged their support to us after the singers issued a statement”, said Rahul Raj along with Ajith Sukumar FEFKA music directors union secretary.
The union sticks to the statements that lyricist and composer are the parents of the song.
Singers have no right to demand any sort of income from the songs that they have already received remuneration for, they added.
“Obviously that singers are the leading element that act as a vehicle which takes the music from the creators to its listeners, but they must remember the song would not have happened, if there is no creator”, said Bijibal, the award winning musician.
The union said it does not have any grudge with the front line singers but they cannot accept the unnecessary demands.
“Nowadays, in the music field, the trend changes every week. So it is not necessary to have a song sung by a front line singer.
Every day, a lot of talented youngsters are coming up in this field as a challenge to the so called ‘frontline’ singers”, said noted music director Vidyasagar who was also present at the press conference.
Indian Singers Rights Association was launched this June in Mumbai and its Chennai chapter was launched by popular south Indian playback singers on August 20.