The Association of Composers, Authors and Publishers of Sri Lanka (ACPOSL) must consult its members before deciding whether to continue requiring music licences and charging fees for private events such as weddings and birthday parties, musician and association member Ranga Dassanayake said.
Speaking at a press conference convened by the association on Friday (25), Dassanayake said its board of directors could not make that decision on its own. He said the association had sought the views of the Event Management Association and the DJ Association, and had also discussed the matter with the World Intellectual Property Organization and CISAC. According to Dassanayake, those discussions indicated that the licensing and fee arrangements could be reviewed.
Dassanayake also addressed confusion over who should obtain a licence for an event. Under the association’s procedure, he said, responsibility lies with the person organising the event. In the case of a wedding, that could be the bride, groom or their parents, rather than the event management company or hotel owner.
Responding to singers who have said on social media that anyone may use their songs without paying the association, Dassanayake said rights in a song may also belong to its composer or lyricist. A singer could not, he argued, grant permission on behalf of another creator.
He said ACPOSL had decided to take legal action against people it considered to be breaching copyright law and was discussing legal support for that work.
