Ritika Pratap 
[Source: Backstage]
Fiji Performing Rights Association Director Eremasi Tamanisau is once again calling for tougher action to protect local artists from copyright.
A survey conducted by the World Intellectual Property Organization in 2021, shows that the global average of the contribution of the copyright industries is around six percent of the Gross Domestic Product.
Tamanisau stresses that with the right regulations the music industry has significant potential to contribute positively to the country’s GDP.
The music industry in Fiji has huge potential, but the Fiji Performing Rights Association stresses that the artists need to be protected.
“For example, in 2021, the US Pacific Fleet in Hawaii requested the use of a song Ono Na Maile. We negotiated and then finally agreed on a rate of US $1,000 for every 30 seconds of part thereof as goodwill payment. Same year, the Japan Defense Force came on board to use two songs, Bula Maleya and Noqu I Tau. We agreed on the same rate, also 1000 US for every 30 seconds. Apartheid. The duration was 6.5 minutes and that is the amount that they paid us, 13,000.”
Tamanisau says the tourism industry is also one of the biggest users’ of local music.
“Fiji Tourism also engaged an Australian company to do a promotional video using five Fijian songs. We agreed to the same quantum, but it was not in US dollars. Fijian dollars, it came to you up to $8,000. So when you translate this rate into an hour rate, it comes to 120,000 US for every hour, or 271,300 Fijian dollars. That’s a huge money.”
The Fiji Performing Rights Association is also pushing for public transports to obtain licenses to play protected music which is a requirement under the Copyright Act of 1999.
