Eligible singers, musicians urged to contact MyIPO for royalty payment

KUALA BERANG:Recording singers and musicians who are eligible to receive royalties but have been left out of the previous payment list are advised to come forward and contact the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO).

Deputy Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Rosol Wahid said so far, the ministry had received a list of 1,000 individuals who would receive the payment early next year.

“The government welcomes them to come forward and register. There is a certain amount that they will receive but if they are entitled (to the royalties), we will look at it,” he told reporters after visiting Kampung Dusun yesterday.

Rosol said all the 1,000 individuals under the patronage of two music royalty collection licensing bodies, namely Recording Performers Malaysia (RPM) Berhad and Performers’ Rights and Interest Society of Malaysia (PRISM) Berhad, would enjoy royalty arrears through the Insolvency Department as PRISM supervisory body after it was dissolved in November 2018.

On the allegation that the government was not being serious over the royalty payment issue, Rosol said it was unfair for the local music industry practitioners to blame any parties especially regarding the initial royalty payment which could not be paid this month as announced on Oct 10.

“Even though MyIPO is just a facilitator or intermediary body in this issue, we take seriously the problems plaguing local art activists.

“We managed to reach a consensus during the Music Royalty Issue meeting which I chaired last Wednesday (Dec 9) and those in the meeting also agreed to settle with an initial payment of royalty arrears amounting to RM500 each to RPM and PRISM members,” he said.

-- BERNAMA