Singers urged to support copyright fight

Your song: The judges of Vietnam Idol wear T-shirts with the message Nghe Co Y Thuc (Listen with Copyright Awareness) to draw attention to copyright violations that are hurting the Vietnamese music industry. — VNS File Photo

HCM CITY (VNS)— Singers should take the initiative in reminding event organisers to pay copyright fees for songs that they perform, Vietnamese music copyright chief has urged in a discussion held in Ha Noi.

The discussion was organised by the Viet Nam Centre for Protection of Music Copyright as it prepares to co-operate with a telecommunication company to collect copyright payments from establishments that trade music on the internet.

"Singers, as song performers, have the responsibility to support us.

"You should try to ask organisers if the copyright fees for the songs you are going to sing have been paid or not. You should ask to see the copyright contract, or cancel the performance contract if there is no copyright contract for the song you have to sing," said composer Pho Duc Phuong, the centre's director.

However, not all singers are willing to do so, he added.

Phuong said composers and singers are "sitting in the same boat" and should work closer together when copyright violations threaten their products, especially on the internet.

In recent weeks, through music programmes and reality shows like Bai Hat Viet (Vietnamese song), Bai Hat Yeu Thich (Favourite Song) and Vietnam Idol, composer Quoc Trung and his colleagues have spread the "Nghe Co Y Thuc" or "Listen with Copyright Awareness" message about protecting music copyright in Viet Nam.

Last Friday, on the first night of Vietnam Idol 2012's Gala Round, the judges, MC, and contestants of the reality began to dress down, wearing simple T-shirts emblazoned with the "Nghe Co Y Thuc" message.

Trung, a Vietnam Idol judge and Huy Tuan, music director of the show, noted that music copyright violations have not reduced, but increased sharply in recent years. They said this was causing a decline in Vietnamese music.

They said music producers tend to cease operations and artists meet with a lot of difficulties and have no motivation to create when their music is stolen brazenly.

"These violations will kill Vietnamese music if we do not stop them," Trung said. — VNS