Musicians break the silence.

TPO - The issue of music copyright on digital platforms continues to spark debate as many musicians and singers share their experiences of being penalized for copyright infringement, losing the right to exploit their works, or not receiving revenue despite their songs achieving great success.

Following the simultaneous initiation of criminal proceedings by the Police Investigation Agency of the Ministry of Public Security in five cases related to "copyright and related rights infringement" occurring at numerous media companies, entertainment companies, and digital content platforms, including BH Media, the issue of music copyright in the digital environment continues to be a focal point of attention.

Many musicians and singers have spoken out, sharing their own experiences after years of struggling to protect their works on digital platforms. From unfair copyright claims and the loss of rights to exploit their recordings, to the situation where hit songs achieve millions of listens but artists receive almost no commensurate revenue, many in the industry admit to feeling helpless when witnessing their musical products being infringed upon online.

Struggling to claim rights to their own work.

Composer Duy Anh, the creator of the hit song "Pretending to Love, " revealed that for many years he faced copyright claims on YouTube for his own songs. Songs he wrote and collaborated with singers on, when uploaded to the digital platform, were exploited by a company that claimed exclusive rights, even though he had never signed any agreement or collaborated with them.

"It's absurd that I have to appeal to a stranger's platform for my own work, which I wrote and the singers I collaborated with. For the past 3-4 years, I've been helpless because I couldn't do anything or sue. The original owner has to swallow their bitterness and watch their work be 'owned' by others on digital platforms," ​​musician Duy Anh said angrily.

Besides the issue of copyright identification on YouTube, musician Duy Anh also mentioned the period of exploiting ringtones and caller tunes in the years around 2008. He said that one of his hit songs generated over one billion VND in revenue, but neither the musician nor the singer received commensurate royalties.

"That was a lesson for me when I was just starting out in showbiz while still in school. Since then, I've always understood that besides passion for art, you have to be level-headed depending on the person and the situation when collaborating or signing contracts," Duy Anh shared.

According to the musician, the current situation serves as a "wake-up call" for the protection of copyright and related rights in the digital music sector in Vietnam.



Many artists have spoken out about the infringement of music copyrights on digital platforms.

Singer Thien Vuong - a member of the MTV group - shares his perspective on the issue of recording copyright and exploitation rights on digital platforms.

In 26 years of working in the industry, with several hundred songs recorded and many hits on the market, MTV has received zero revenue on digital platforms.

According to Thien Vuong, for artists today, each recording after release can generate revenue from online listens, serving various commercial purposes. However, the MTV group almost never benefits from passive income from their old music catalog.

"For the past 26 years and up to now, MTV's income has come solely from live performances, in other words, income from each show," he shared.

An MTV member stated that the issue lies in the ownership of the recordings. According to him, in the past, many bands released physical albums through intermediary distributors. The agreements at that time mainly focused on CD and cassette releases, but later these distributors continued to sell or exploit the recordings on digital platforms.

"When everything came to light, all we could do was laugh it off because those publishing units had long since disbanded. Contacting the people in charge at the time only resulted in vague answers and shifting responsibility to others," Thien Vuong said.

Tired of their songs constantly getting copyright strikes online and having to apply for whitelists (allowing them to use content without copyright infringement), MTV abandoned its digital platform expansion.

With revenue of 1.7 billion VND, the musician was paid 30 million VND.

Composer Nguyen Van Chung admitted that he is "all too familiar with having his intellectual property and profits stolen." He said that many of his hit songs generate significant revenue from ringtones and caller tunes, but the author does not receive commensurate benefits.

The first shock came in 2008, when the musician read a report showing that the revenue from ringtones of a popular song he composed reached 1.7 billion VND, but he wasn't the one who received the money.

"When I directly questioned the singer's team, I received a dismissive answer and was given 30 million VND as consolation. From that moment, I thought: not everyone in the arts is as carefree as I am; this is simply business," he shared.

Following the incident, musician Nguyen Van Chung stated that he has become more cautious with contracts and legal documents. However, the rapid development of technology and digital platforms makes it difficult for many artists to keep up.

According to musician Nguyen Van Chung, he was once persuaded by someone claiming to be a copyright lawyer to sign a power of attorney to claim his rights, but then proceeded to sell his songs to other companies for profit. He has also been a victim of scams from other companies, on a larger and more sophisticated scale.

The male musician said he had repeatedly "had to beg" various organizations to remove complaints regarding his own songs. This happened even with songs about family, children, or his homeland that he allowed to be used free of charge in schools or non-profit programs.

"For years, I've been producing my own songs just to minimize losses, but many times, unfamiliar or familiar entities, both domestically and internationally, have claimed (filed Content ID complaints) for my songs. They receive a portion of the money from YouTube or other music platforms even though I didn't authorize them to do so. I have to go and beg those entities to 'help' me release the claim for my songs," the male musician questioned.

Composer Nguyen Van Chung emphasized that the authorities' intervention in the music copyright case is a welcome sign. This gives him confidence that he "is protected, intellectual property thieves will be severely punished, and music copyrights will be respected."

Source: https://tienphong.vn/gioi-nhac-si-pha-vo-su-im-lang-post1844484.tpo