PPL has signed a landmark deal with the Indian Singers’ and Musicians’ Rights Association (ISAMRA). The agreement means PPL can now collect royalties on behalf of mandated performers in India. Indian performers will also receive payment from the use of their recorded music in the UK.
The Indian music industry generated around $1.5 billion USD1 in 2022, and PPL’s new partnership with ISAMRA means that PPL mandated performers will now start to receive royalties distributed by the Indian CMO for the use of their recordings in the country. In 2023, PPL allocated revenue to over 450 performers for use of their music resulting from the bilateral agreement, and this number is expected to increase substantially this year.
The deal follows the agreement in 2023 between ISAMRA (previously known as ISRA) and the Indian Music Industry (IMI), which represents more than 200 record labels in India. Under the terms of the agreement, ISAMRA will receive up to 25% of public performance revenue from sound recordings collected by PPL India (which is unaffiliated with PPL), to be distributed to performers.
In its most recent publicly available results (2022), PPL India collected RS. 1.64 CR. (approximately £15.5M) and forecasts robust growth in the coming years as the market develops a deeper understanding of music licensing requirements. The CEO of ISAMRA has taken a seat on the Board of PPL India to further support the growth in PPL India’s collections.
The recent change to ISAMRA’s name reflects the fact that the organisation now represents, and pays royalties to both musicians and vocalists, whereas in the past it represented just the vocalist featured performers on a recording. These organisational changes, which have been backed by the Indian Government, have enabled PPL to reach an agreement with ISAMRA to collect royalties on behalf of UK performers for the use of their performances on recorded music in India.
Laurence Oxenbury, Director of International at PPL, said: “This partnership with ISAMRA is an important moment for the rights of performers in India. The UK is a significant consumer of Indian repertoire and money has already been paid from PPL in the UK to ISAMRA, benefiting hundreds of performers who did not historically have an entitlement to revenue. The performers we represent at PPL will start to receive new royalties for the use of their music in India during 2024. The agreement is another step on our journey to ensure that our members are paid whenever and wherever their music is used around the world.”
