New laws have been gazetted requiring a licence to play songs at weddings, events, banks, supermarkets, non-public and company occasions, and DJ exhibits.
The gazette was issued as a measure to guard mental property rights.
The laws gazetted by the Affiliation of Creators and Publishers of Sri Lanka (ACPOSL) underneath the Nationwide Mental Property Workplace (NIPO) of Sri Lanka got here into pressure on Sept. 15.
Accordingly, the affiliation has knowledgeable lodges and different establishments {that a} licence must be obtained for musical occasions at a variable charge starting from Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 125,000, relying on the variety of attendees.
The licensing will initially apply to Sri Lankan musical works represented by the Affiliation and Hindi and Tamil musical works represented via the Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS).
Occasions and features solely taking part in English-language or different overseas musical works won’t be required to acquire a licence.
In response to ACPOSL, occasions and features, together with weddings and wedding ceremony receptions, non-public events, company occasions, dinner dances, award ceremonies, product launches, promotional occasions, sponsored occasions, conferences involving musical leisure, DJ occasions, dwell band performances, performances by singers, hybrid occasions involving each dwell and recorded music, concert events and music-focused exhibits, require a licence.
For DJ occasions
DJ occasions with fewer than 100 individuals, 100–300 individuals and greater than 300 individuals require licence charges of Rs. 20,000, Rs. 30,000 and Rs. 40,000, respectively.
The licence charge for dwell music occasions in the identical capability classes will probably be Rs. 25,000, Rs. 35,000 and Rs. 50,000, respectively.
In the meantime, non-public or company DJ occasions in the identical capability classes would require licence charges of Rs. 25,000, Rs. 40,000 and Rs. 50,000, respectively.
Non-public or company occasions involving both dwell music or hybrid music would require fee of Rs. 50,000, Rs. 75,000 and Rs. 125,000, respectively.
ACPOSL mentioned the licensing requirement is primarily geared toward commercially organised music occasions, whereas small-scale artists and DJ artists wouldn’t be subjected to the necessities in sure circumstances.
Below the laws, lodges mustn’t allow an occasion with out an ACPOSL licence or clearance, and after the occasion, the organiser ought to make sure that an audio recording adequate to determine the music performed is supplied to the affiliation.
The laws additionally cowl supermarkets, retail shops, banks, monetary establishments, showrooms, exhibition complexes, procuring malls, arcades, plazas, workplace buildings and cinema halls.
The licensing scheme additionally applies to passenger buses, coaches, vacationer transport autos and passenger trains.
For industrial premises, an annual licence will probably be issued, with the charges differing in response to the realm dimension.
The charge additionally varies relying on the Municipal Council, City Council or Pradeshiya Sabha space wherein the premises are positioned.
