What are the issues facing the Japanese record industry?
I attended a seminar today on the current state of the Recording Industry Association.
("Composition and Current State of the Record Industry"
(Lecturer: Mr. Kiyoshi Kusumoto, Executive Director, Recording Industry Association of Japan)
I heard about the problems facing the Japanese record industry.
The issue is precisely this:
🔶 The lack of a right to record performance
What exactly is the right to record performance?
It is the right to allow people to listen to records created by record producers (record companies) that contain the performances of performers (musicians).
Example: Playing a record as background music in a coffee shop
This is a right regarding that act; if the right to record performance existed, performers and record companies could grant permission for shops to play records and receive compensation from them.
However, as it stands, there is no right to record performance, so this cannot be done.
Lyricists and composers have performance rights
What is unfair is that lyricists and composers have performance rights, so they can grant permission to shops for the act of playing records and receive compensation from the shops (through JASRAC).
However, performers and record companies do not have the right to record performance, so they cannot do this.
Japan is lagging behind
Japan is the only country in Asia that does not have a right to record performance.
Moreover, this right is established in 142 countries around the world, and Japan is in a situation where it is lagging behind.
Singers and musicians are also inconvenienced
Musicians who write lyrics and music are fine because they have performance rights, but singers and performing musicians (performers) are losing out on profits from their activities overseas.
This is because international treaties apply reciprocity, and since there is no right to record performance in Japan, it is often judged that other countries do not need to pay compensation to Japanese performers.
As a result, a situation is occurring where even if songs by Japanese artists are played in shops overseas, no compensation is paid to the performers or record companies.
Broadcasters are required to pay usage fees
What is even more unfair is that under the Copyright Act, broadcasters are required to pay usage fees to record producers when they use records for broadcasting or cable broadcasting.
For example, if a record is played as background music on television, the TV station must pay a usage fee to the record company.
A record is a medium that captures an artist's performance. This should be protected to the same extent as an artist's live performance.
Currently, there are calls for the creation of this right, and experts have begun to examine it.
However, stipulating a right to claim remuneration for stores such as restaurants also carries the problem of leading to an increase in the economic and labor burden on these stores.