Speakers at a dialogue on the Vietnamese music industry in the digital era held as part of the first HCM City International Music Festival, which opened on Thursday. — VNS Photo Bồ Xuân Hiệp

HCM CITY — Enforcement of the laws covering music copyright protection is needed to ensure the development of the Vietnamese music industry in the digital era, speakers said at a seminar on Thursday in HCM City.

Đinh Trung Cẩn, vice director of the Việt Nam Centre for Protection of Music Copyright (VCPMC), said that most promoters and performers in Việt Nam wanted to avoid paying copyright fees.

“Copyright protection is mandatory. VCPMC aims to actively fulfill music copyright in the country,” he said. “It’s essential to develop a comprehensive range of services, using a variety of databases and licensing systems which will satisfy the needs of both copyright owners and music users.”

The VCPMC updates information about authors and their works regularly on CIS-Net (a network of databases provided by CISAC) and MIS-Asia (copyright alert system) according to international standards. This information helps copyright organisations around the world search for information about Vietnamese authors and musical works, he said.

“In Việt Nam, we now have to confront a number of issues in copyright protection and licensing, especially as it is difficult to manage copyright on the internet,” he said. “We will continue to work closely with local authorities to seek measures and policies to protect copyright more effectively.”

“It’s also vital to raise people’s awareness about the necessity of musical copyright protection as it’s the best way to encourage and support authors and composers to create,” he added.

The VCPMC has established a network of representatives in cities and districts throughout the country who directly manage licenses and collect royalties, he said.

With its 3,550 members nationwide, VCPMC aims to expand relations with other music copyright organisations around the world. Organisations with systems that are able to efficiently collect royalties from a full range of music users are important for copyright owners. 

Musician Nguyễn Hải Phong said he believed the local music industry would develop in a professional way in the next few years due to the fast development of digital music companies and online music listening.

The digital era is affecting the way artists produce music products and manage their own production teams much more than 10 years ago, he said. 

Artists can now work together remotely, while singers can release new songs in the digital age quickly and reach more people and markets, he added. 

For example, a recently launched MV of popular singer Sơn Tùng M-TP achieved a record number of views in Việt Nam, and was also a top trending song in South Korea, Australia, Canada and Singapore. It was featured in the US magazine Billboard.

The dialogue was held as part of the first HCM City International Music Festival, which opened on December 13, attracting renowned Vietnamese and foreign music producers, musicians, singers and bands.

As part of the festival, Hò dô (HOZO), the city’s largest outdoor music show, features performances in a range of music genres, from jazz, pop and traditional music with high artistic quality. The international line-up includes Cosmopolitan Urbane Jazz band from Australia, Russian modern music group ESSE-Quintet, Japanese drum group SAI, South Korean band Cheeze, Colombian band La Chiva Gantiva, and others. 

With the message “More Music, Less Plastic”, HOZO will also include activities to raise community awareness about environmental protection. — VNS