Sri Lankan singers demand equal song rights

A meeting between Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the Sri Lankan Singers’ Association was held yesterday afternoon (August 5) at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.

During the meeting, the Sri Lankan Singers’ Association requested the President to amend the law so that the moral and exclusive rights to a song would be granted not only to the lyricist and composer but also to the singers.

They pointed out that under the Intellectual Property Act, the exclusive rights to a song are currently vested in the lyricist and composer, which has caused difficulties for many popular singers, including the inability to publish their own songs on social media. As a result, many professional singers have faced injustice.

The Association therefore urged the President to appoint an independent committee to review the matter and introduce the necessary legal amendments.

The President noted that this issue had existed for some time and stressed that any solution should be based on a study of existing international laws, technological requirements, and internationally established agreements.

He emphasized that the concerns of all parties should be considered to ensure a fair outcome for everyone involved.

Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi, President of the Sri Lankan Singers’ Association Rohan de Silva, Chairman of the Music Council Nadeeka Guruge, and veteran singers including Sujatha Aththanayaka, T. M. Jayarathna, Sunil Edirisinghe, Malkanthi Nandasiri, Jagath Wickramasinghe, Janaka Wickramasinghe, Rohana Bogoda, Somasiri Medagedara, Deepika Priyadarshani, and Rodney Warnakula, along with several others, attended the event.