Cutting Chai with Bhawana Somaaya - Day 254

Five Points FWA v/s IPRS

30.12.2013  

Lyricist members of FWA have decided to boycott IPRS’s 43^rd AGM today, 30 December, 2013 and there are many reasons for it:

1. This is the first time- since AGM of 29 September 2004 that all lyricists have infact been invited to the IPRS AGM and FWA is curious by this sudden interest and change.

2. In the letter IPRS requests members to consider and adopt the Audited Accounts for the year ended 31 March, 2013. FWA argues that when there has been no AGM since Sept, 2004 there can be no accounts so how can the members agree to adoption of accounts at a sudden meeting for current financial year.

3. The letter mentions status quo order obtained by Saregama India Ltd against IPRS because of which elections cannot be held. FWA questions how a matter of 2004 can remain in effect and only for election? How come the IPRS has not protested against such an order? How come there is no system of Proxy in IPRS and no approval has been sought on the matter from all lyricists? And finally, what exactly does the Tariff Scheme mean when they mention Bundled Services and Content Pool. It is all too vague and ambiguous and requires clarity.

4. The Distribution Scheme is both unfair and inappropriate. FWA has been writing to IPRS for supporting details for years but there has been no answer.

5. FWA feels that IPRS should have taken the Lyricists & Composers Association into confidence about the planned changes and been transparent in communication, which is not the case. IPRS has suddenly awakened nine months after the last AGM in Sept 2004 and invited the lyricists for a meeting which is unacceptable to AGM.

Bhawana Somaaya/ @bhawanasomaaya