Karaoke bars told to pay annual royalty fee of 9 cents per song in Vietnam

From mid-July this year, royalty fees for more than 10,000 licensed musical works will be collected by the Recording Industry Association of Vietnam (RIAV), the organization said in a statement on Tuesday.  

The rate for a one-year license for each song will be VND2,000 ($0.09).

Before releasing the statement, the association conducted a survey on the use of musical works under the protection of the association for commercial purposes in the provinces of Quang Ninh, Tra Vinh and Ben Tre.

RIAV claimed that infringing on copyright to make a profit violates the Civil Code, Intellectual Property Law and other relevant regulations.

Along with the proposed fee, RIAV has told karaoke businesses to take copyright laws seriously by immediately taking protected songs off their playlists and complying with laws regarding the payment of royalties.

Earlier this month, in a meeting with a state official, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius highlighted his interest in protecting intellectual property. He also urged authorities to take action.

Vietnam has signed five international conventions and treaties for the protection of artistic works.

There are four associations in Vietnam set up to protect composers and their works.