Ministry of Law and Human Rights: Christmas Songs in Commercial Spaces Still Have to Pay Royalties

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Law (Kemenkum) emphasized that the playing of spiritual songs, especially those related to Christmas moments, commercially or used in paid public spaces, the obligation to pay royalties still applies.

Legal Analyst of the Intellectual Property Directorate General (DJKI) of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Achmad Iqbal Taufiq, said that every use of songs and/or music, including spiritual songs in the form of paid worship events, spiritual concerts, digital broadcasts, and other commercial uses, is still subject to the provisions of Law Number 28 of 2014 concerning Copyright.

"Copyright protection for songs and/or music does not recognize genre categories. Spiritual songs are still copyrighted works protected by law," said Iqbal in a statement confirmed in Jakarta, Antara, Wednesday, December 31.

He said the affirmation was in line with the basic principle of copyright protection which provides appreciation and protection for creators, copyright holders, and creative economic actors who depend on their creative works, without distinguishing the type and theme of the song.

Iqbal said that music is the best atmosphere builder, especially at religious celebration moments.

Legendary songs, "All I Want for Christmas Is You" and "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas", for example, are always played in various places at Christmas celebrations.

Quoted from The Economist, he said, the song is a fantastic source of annual income, with royalty estimates reaching around 2.5 million US dollars (US) to 3 million US dollars or equivalent to Rp. 39.3 billion to Rp. 49 billion per year.

In fact, the latest analysis from Billboard estimates that the total accumulated royalties have now exceeded 100 million US dollars or around Rp. 1.5 trillion, in line with the explosion in streaming use.

"This shows that spiritual songs are not exempt from copyright and royalty protection," he said.

He explained that the obligation to pay royalties is not merely a matter of legality, but also a form of justice for creators.

According to him, there are still many parties who think that spiritual songs are free to use, even though legal protection still applies as long as the creator does not give up his rights.

For this reason, he encourages all organizers of spiritual events, platform managers, and institutions that use spiritual songs to carry out licensing and royalty payments through official mechanisms.

"The principle is simple, anyone who enjoys the economic benefits of someone else's work must give credit through the royalty payment mechanism," said Iqbal.

DJKI also appeals to the public to cooperate with the National Collective Management Agency (LMKN) or related institutions in the licensing process for the use of songs and/or music. This step is important to ensure that royalty distribution is transparent and targeted.

Through this policy, DJKI hopes that the Indonesian music industry ecosystem, including spiritual music, can develop more healthily, fairly, and provide legal certainty for both creators and users of copyrighted works.

In addition, DJKI emphasized its commitment to continue to carry out supervision and enforcement of laws against copyright violations, including the use of religious songs without permission.

This effort is carried out not only through enforcement approaches, but also education and training so that all parties understand the licensing procedures and the importance of appreciation for creative works.