No more Kaliyon ka chaman?

Irked by the trend of remixes and cover versions of original music, some members of the music industry have decided to seek help from Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Senior music directors like Naushad Ali, who chairs the Indian Performing Rights Society Limited, and representatives of the Indian Music Industry have written to the Prime Minister's Office to help eradicate what it calls 'musical terrorism'.

A joint delegation, including Naushad, Khayyam, Anandji and Sanjay Tandon, will meet Vajpayee to apprise him of the damage done by cover versions and remixes.

According to Tandon, director, IPRS (the authorised body that administers the intellectual property rights of the original creators and publishers of musical works), the purpose of the meeting is to isolate and eradicate the reasons that have allowed this menace to grow.

Remixes have given rise to a parallel music industry which has eaten into the revenues that would otherwise reach the original creators. It threatens the very existence of the industry, say industry sources.

According to IMI, the industry lost more than Rs 300 crores in the last 18 months due to the piracy and plagiarism carried out under the guise of remixes and cover versions.

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