Major hotels, pubs, discos told to pay for music played at events

The city may fall short of venues to celebrate and welcome the New Year this time around as the Phonographic Performance Ltd. (PPL) has served notices to many well known hotels and pubs.

These legal notices have been issued to venues that have not paid the requisite music license fee to play music at their year-end events.

PPL said in a statement that it plans to initiate strict legal action against defaulters in case the license fee does not get paid ahead of their planned events.

An interim injunction by the Delhi High Court bars Radisson Blu Hotel, Paschim Vihar, Hype at Shangri-La Hotel, QBA, Sheraton Hotel, Hilton Hotel, Double Tree Hilton, ChalChitra, Crowne Plaza, Wyndham Hotel, Club Sirocco, Nautica, Play Lounge Bar, 3 Stories, The Glassy Junction, Hang Out, Club Headquarters, Pritampura, bars them from playing recorded music, without first paying music license.

On this issue, Vipul Pradhan, CEO, PPL said "New Year parties attract people promising them a good time through a combination of entertainment, food and beverage. A significant component of the sum charged from the customers is for music – an integral element of entertainment. Therefore, the music companies whose sound recording is regularly used have a right towards claiming their due because their product is getting consumed too."

Under the statutory sanction of section 35 in the Indian Copyright Act, playing commercial music in public without paying the requisite license fee is an offence liable to contempt of court.