Fulfilling The DPR's Invitation, VISI Conveys Three Aspiration Points

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Voice Vibration (VISION) fulfilled the invitation of the DPR RI Council Expert Board (BKD) this afternoon, Friday, May 2, to convey a number of important notes related to legal protection and certainty of a fair royalty system for singers in Indonesia.

Armand Maulana, Ariel, Bunga Citra Lestari, Judika, and several other singers, fulfilled the invitation as part of VISI's commitment to building a national music ecosystem that is healthy, balanced, and in line with the best practice.

Singer is not an ecosystem barrier, it is an important part of the bridge of work to the public. So legal protection should be given so that they can continue to work professionally and with integrity," said VISI General Chair Armand Maulana, through a press release to VOI.

VISI highlighted that based on Law Number 28 of 2014 concerning Copyright Law (UU Copyright), singers know that there is no need to have permission to be able to perform songs, because songwriters have become members of the Collective Management Institute (LMK).

By becoming members, songwriters have given LMK the power to regulate related rights procedures and collect performance royalties.

In international practice, licensing and royalty payments to songwriters are the responsibility of event organizers or commercial users, and not singers.

Indonesia, as a country that has ratified several international conventions related to copyright, should not set different standards.

In this case, VISI conveyed three points to the DPR RI BKD. Here's the explanation:

Point 1: The importance of legal certainty of any system used to carry out collective and royalty distribution must provide legal clarity so that singers can carry out their profession without the risk of criminalization or overlapping bills from various institutions.

Point 2: Rejecting the Potential for VISI Criminalization rejects the prohibition or criminalization of singers throughout Indonesia, due to the licensing system that is not transparent and is not well-published. Based on the Copyright Law, singers are not prohibited from singing creators' songs because songwriters have given power to LMK to regulate related rights procedures and collect royalties for performances paid by song users (event organizers and performances).

Point 3: DataVISION Privacy and Protection rejects royalty rates standards that use singer personal or financial data as a reference. This violates the Personal Data Protection Law and a business-protected secret price strategy.

Nevertheless, VISI emphasized that singers still uphold communication, ethics, and family culture with songwriters. Efforts to maintain good relations and support the increase in royal income of creators continue to be prioritized as a form of solidarity in building an inclusive and sustainable Indonesian music industry.