It may be true that lyricists and music composers have not been given their fair share of the revenues from films because they have been compelled, thanks to the way the industry works, to relinquish their royalty rights in perpetuity. It?s also true that they have made a big contribution to the film industry, which would have been poorer without their talent. However, eminent lyricist Javed Akhtar, who has been fighting their cause, in demanding that they be given their share of the royalties?whether it?s from the radio stations, television channels or caller back tunes?cannot question the contribution of the producer or the grounds on which the producer is claiming 75% of the royalty.
To begin with, if the producer had not decided to make the film, the lyricist or composer would not have had the opportunity to write the songs, or set the tunes. The way we understand the business, it?s the producer who?s taking on the business risk of making the film and, thereafter, selling the various rights, so that he recovers his costs and makes a profit. Since audiences love them, films need stars and, to be able to cut through the clutter, movies need to be marketed, whether by the producer or the distributor. So, high promotion costs today are a reality, whether for a small-budget film or a big-budget film. And whatever one may say, promotions do help in making songs more popular, so it doesn?t really seem unfair that the music composers and songwriters do share the costs. Would Mr Akhtar be able to reach out to audiences on his own without the marketing clout that producers have? Whether one likes it or not, 90% of the music that people listen to comes from Bollywood and, without the film industry, most of the music composers and songwriters wouldn?t have got the opportunity that they have. Today, non-film music, including Indian classical music, doesn?t sell the way film music does and given the plague of piracy, music companies haven?t had an easy time.
Also, while it is true that there are songs that may become hits even if the film doesn?t, how a song is picturised does make a difference to its success. A good choreographer and a good dancer can change the complexion of the song because television has changed things. Mr Akhtar wonders how good today?s compositions are, compared to the songs of yesteryears, and how long they will be remembered. Well then, if the songs are nonetheless becoming hits, they should thank their stars! Mr Akhtar also believes that producers should not differentiate between new and established talent, arguing that royalty is not paid as an absolute amount but as a percentage. So, if the songs are played fewer times on the radio or television, the royalties would, in any case, be smaller. Moreover, Mr Akhtar asks why there should be a difference in royalties at the producer?s end if there is no difference at the radio station or television channel?s end. The lyricists and songwriters are not wrong in demanding their fair share, as defined in the copyright act, but they need to accept that someone else is taking on the risk.
Especially today, when budgets are becoming bigger. In fact, since Tees Maar Khan didn?t exactly break any records at the box office, 2010 will go down in Bollywood?s history as another year in which distributors refused to learn their lesson, namely that they shouldn?t over-pay. Despite alternate revenue streams like satellite and home video rights, fetching more than they did a couple of years back, sales from theatres still account for half the total collections. As we saw in 2009 and even in 2008, big stars can?t pull it off unless the story and screenplay are up to the mark?in 2008, Saif Ali Khan showed us that he could deliver three flops in a row and now Akshay Kumar is threatening to do the same. It won?t be surprising then if Bollywood?s balance sheet for 2010 isn?t as big as it was in 2009. For one, the year saw fewer releases than in 2009, which had ended with the blockbuster 3 Idiots raking in more than any film before it and a couple of other hits like Kaminey. And 2008 had Ghajini to boost the bottom line. Moreover, several of the big-budget movies, like Guzaarish and Kites bombed. Receipts from satellite rights may have jumped by about 15-20%, so that they now fetch a higher 20% of total revenues, but since half the revenues come in from the theatres, and since there were fewer hits last year, distributors are not exactly laughing all the way to the bank. Indeed, it?s possible that the industry may not even clock the kind of revenues that it did in 2009, of close to Rs 9,000 crore, which incidentally, was lower than the Rs 10,500 crore that the industry reported in 2008.
shobhana.subramanian@
expressindia.com