Indra Lesmana Finally Opened His Voice Regarding The 'Kisruh' Singer And Songwriter

Indra Lesmana (Instagram @red_imagination_aventure)

JAKARTA - Indra Lesmana, through his latest Instagram Story upload, shared his views on the chaos between the singer and the songwriter who has recently been in the spotlight in the Indonesian music industry.

The 58-year-old musician started his statement by highlighting the phenomenon that occurred before the digital era dominated the music industry.

Dulu sebelum era digital/streaming, penyanyi bisa menikmati royalties dari artis royalties dan pemutus lagu dari royalties mechanical yang dihitung dari setiap penjualan Kaset/CD (wapunya royalti untuk pemutusan lagu ini sangat kecil dan dibuat ketentuan standar oleh beberapa major label, dan masih ditunting 50% jika dikelola oleh publisher), kata Indra, mengutip pernyataan, Jumat, 14 Maret.

However, Indra sees the current conditions as different. He said that the average income of Indonesian musicians from CD or even digital sales could not be relied on, let alone to finance school children.

In the digital era as it is today, inequality between singers and songwriters is actually very visible. Therefore, Indra sees it natural that songwriters want to get the rights of using their songs.

"Now in the digital era, a singer still needs to release an album/single and still needs a new song from the songwriter in order to get a job and earn an income as a singer/performer," said Indra.

For that, it's not too much if creators try to fight for economic and moral rights over the use of their property. The existence of permits and agreements on the use of songs between songwriters and singers for every commercial show will create a healthier life of music. The initiation of singers to have a dialogue and get permission from songwriters is a commendable act," he added.

Furthermore, Indra also highlighted the existence of the National Collective Management Institute (LMK). He felt it would be better if LMK respected the efforts of songwriters who wanted direct license.

LMK as an institution that has partnership relationships with songwriters, should be able to also appreciate the Direct Licensing special performances''' proposed by songwriters. This has been running in several countries, where songs can be 'Opt Out (issued/not included) in the agreement between the Creator (power giver) and LMK (authorized) not to collect royalties at live performances, so users must contact creators directly, said Indra. While outside of songs that are out, LMK can still carry out its function of collecting royalties of performance rights in the form of blanks (karaoke, hotels, cafes, restaurants, radios, TVs, etc.).