Music industry seeks better enforcement of copyright laws

Speakers at a dialogue on the Vietnamese music industry in the digital era held as part of the first HCM City International Music Festival (Photo: VNA)

HCM City (VNS/VNA) – Better 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 recent seminar in HCM City.

Dinh Trung Can, vice director of the Vietnam Centre for Protection of Music Copyright (VCPMC), said that most promoters and performers in Vietnam 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, Can said.

“In Vietnam, 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,” Can 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. 

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, Ho do (HOZO), the city’s largest outdoor music show, was opened, featuring 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./.