David Bayu Hopes Pro-Contra On Music Royalties Results In System Improvement

David Bayu (Instagram @davidbayudj)

JAKARTA - David Bayu as a singer-songwriter tries to see the positive side of the debate over music royalties which has been in the spotlight in the Indonesian music industry in recent times.

According to former Naif vocalist, the pros and cons that appear among Indonesian music people can produce a better system in the future.

"If nothing is crowded, that's all, there's no change either. There must be something crowded. So, the Indonesian people - the people - are aware of how valuable a creation is," said David Bayu at Pondok Labu, South Jakarta, Wednesday, March 12.

According to him, all musicians - both singer and songwriter - have their own rights. The problems that occur are the result of fulfilling the rights that are deemed not optimal.

"But maybe what's busy is copyright issues, which all this time musicians and creators also feel like the results that have not been maximized from the system that is already running," he said.

David himself joined the Indonesian Voice Vibration (VISION), which recently requested a judicial review of Law No. 28 of 2014 concerning Copyright (UUHC) to the Constitutional Court (MK).

Meanwhile, some things that VISI wants to ensure include: the singer must get permission from the songwriter; who is obliged to pay royalties of performing rights; the amount of the royalties rate of performing rights outside the mechanism of the National Collective Management Institute (LMKN) and the rates determined by the Ministerial Regulation; as well as the issue of defaulting the payment of royalties of performing rights.

"Language is easy for us performers or creators, the important thing is fairness, so we are both happy," he said. Creator also needs singers, singers need creation. But it's all one unit, which if that's the conflict or contradiction, then it's not fun.

Ari Bias and Agnez Mo's current legal case, said David, can be used as a momentum so that the Indonesian music industry wants to improve itself.

"Oh my, we still lose a lot to neighboring Malaysia. This Indonesian music is crazy, the potential is really good. This money is really big. But if the creator is poor, it's not fair either. So yes, please improve the system, for Indonesian works that are getting even better," he concluded.