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PRESS RELEASE* * * *IPRS, PPL agencies harassing small business men in Goa: SpeakGoa* Representatives or agents and associates claiming to represent the Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS) and other private agencies supposedly affiliated to various music companies who claim to award licenses for performing rights also known as PPL or public performance license for events, live shows, bands and all other functions where both recorded and live music is played are harassing and intimidating small businesses, wedding planners, restaurant owners and the like in Goa in a criminal and organized manner, social forum SpeakGoa has claimed. “Earlier it was just the IPRS which would approach restaurants or event organizers, now several different agencies owing allegiance to some or the other music company have started demanding their ‘pound of flesh’ for every event or party organized in the state. SpeakGoa has called upon the government of Goa and the Tourism Ministry to clarify its stand on the IPRS and PPL issue. If any royalties have to be paid, it should only be clearly linked to business generated or profit-oriented and not as a flat fee irrespective of the business scenario in the state. Also there should be only one agency authorized to collect such fees and the rate structure should be clearly laid out depending on the location, business or annual profit generated and not merely by considering the business generated in one or two months. Elaborating on the problems, SpeakGoa has listed out a ten pointers on the subject as to how restaurant owners and business men are harassed and intimated by IPRS agents. 1. Several different agencies or agents owing allegiance to various leading music companies’ demand, extort and intimidate event organizers and restaurant owners. 2. Yash Raj Music has its own agency to enforce PPL royalties, similarly T-Series and other leading music companies in India like Venus, Tips etc have started their own individual agencies or entities for PPL. Hence IPRS is not the sole representative of the Indian Music Industry and in no way can claim to have the interests of Indian musicians and music companies in mind as the music companies have themselves broken away from IPRS and started their own enforcement agencies. 3. Foreign companies and music labels too have started appointing agents in India particularly in Goa – given the fact that a lot of western music is played in beach-side shacks, etc. 4. In addition to the other music companies, the IPRS or the Indian Performing Right Society also charges an annual royalty or fee for permission to play music at the venue. 5. Since most of the shacks and restaurants in the beach belts of Goa are seasonal and work only for about 6-8 months, it becomes very difficult to pay for an annual license. 6. There are no fixed or permanent rates. The charges are always negotiated by the agents who very often do not give official receipts. Part payment is made official and part is demanded unofficially without receipts for a sort of “settlement”. 7. A restaurant owner or businessman does not keep track of which song or which music track is played how many times at his restaurant. Very often music belonging to a particular label or music company may not be played at all for months – for eg songs or tracks from the Tips music company label may not be suitable or may not work at a particular venue – yet the owner is forced to pay for the monthly or half-yearly or quarterly license from TIPS even if the label songs may be played a few times only. 8. Agents use below the belt techniques and unethical strategies to force a business to pay up. For eg if a restaurant has a guest DJ or disc jockey and he suddenly plays a track from a particular music label company for which prior PPL has not been obtained by the venue owners or event company, the agents immediately rush in to penalize and scare the venue owner, claiming that he can be prosecuted or monetarily penalized for playing a song for which he did not have a license. In this way the owner is forced to pay up using unethical business practices. 9. Police officials are hand-in-glove with the PPL enforcing agents. Some police men will go out of their way to threaten restaurant owners including using coercion and walking into restaurants or event venues in uniform to “scare or embarrass” owners and event organizers. 10. Business in Goan restaurants varies greatly during the months. A restaurant may do very good business in November and December but could have very poor business in February, March and April. The PPL is based or calculated on the size of the restaurant, the number of guests or visitors and other factors. The agents visit the restaurant when it is fully packed in the peak season months of November or December and charge the owners based on the numbers present during that period. However a month later the number of guests or visitors falls by half, but the restaurant owner has had to pay for the entire six-month period by the same yardstick or formula calculated in the months of November or December. -- SpeakGoa is a Margao-based anti-corruption social forum | Convener and spokesperson: Salvador De Costa | Email: editor.speak...@gmail.com | www.facebook.com/speakgoa | speakgoa.wordpress.com