Remuneration, reward and royalty in music copyright: a developing country perspective

The royalty collection and distribution has been entrusted with the colossal task of delivering the economic benefits that intellectual property rights espouse. The music industries in particular can be considered as eager beneficiaries of copyright who are anticipative of the efficient execution of royalty schemes. While these schemes have delivered satisfactory outcome for some artists in established music industries in the world, this paper challenges its ability to provide an equitable, all-encompassing and transparent revenue scheme for all artists and particularly for artists in emerging music industries in developing countries.

Focusing on Sri Lankan music industry as a case study, this paper argues that a royalty scheme may not deliver the remuneration and reward the artists expect, unless it is complemented with context-specific methods executed through a holistic approach that looks beyond the bounds of copyright and performers’ rights regime.