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Subhash K Jha (DNA; November 19, 2015)

Enlarge ImageFor 10 years now poet, lyricist, writer and activist Javed Akhtar has been fighting a long lonely battle for royalty rights for musicians, singers and composers , taking on the powerful Indian Performing Rights Society Ltd (IPRS) and PPL (Phonograph Performance Ltd) which monitors and channels musicians’ royalty.

We now hear from reliable sources that the Central government has taken a call to amend the Copyright Act drastically in favour of musicians and is on the verge of sanctioning financial benefits close to `600 crore for them.

Says Javed, “We’re very close to achieving our goal whereby musicians get their dues.” The Copyright Act was amended in 2012, thanks to Javed. Then, he sent a letter to the Central government to bring alleged irregularities in the working of the IPRS and PPL. The government issued a show-cause notice to both organisations.

Javed says he is proud that he has carried forward a crusade for musicians’ right that Lata Mangeshkar started in the 1960s. “Lataji was the first musician from the Indian film industry to raise the issue of royalties. If she had been able to secure her rights whereby musicians get paid each time their song is played in public, she would have been one of the three richest women in the world.”