'Obtain licence before playing music commercially'

Mumbai/New Delhi, Jan 2: The Delhi High Court has barred a lounge bar in the national capital from playing recorded music without first obtaining a license from a body formed to protect the rights of artistes, an order that has been welcomed by a clutch of eminent playback singers. "The law has been in force since 2012 but people felt it is not yet operative. The enforcement of the law is important and that is what we have now obtained from the court," Sanjay Tandon, who heads the Indian Singers' Rights Association (ISRA), told IANS of the ruling earlier this week against the Night Fever Club & Lounge. "We would, thus appeal to all users to now obtain an ISRA License and respect the contribution of the singers," Tandon added of the association's first legal victory after the Copyright Act was amended in 2012. Under the Act, singers are now entitled to royalties if their works are played for commercial purposes. In line with this, ISRA has served notice on leading radio stations, TV channels and mobile networks, among others, asking them to obtain its license.