By MIO Team
Oct 13, 2006, 23:28
Taking his stand A R Rahman has decided to protest against the prevailing practices in Bollywood. He is striving to campaign for his new policy that aims to secure the financial rights of composers and lyricists, and also producers. "I want to push for the copyright of composers and lyricists, even producers. I'm not saying that I want to be the sole proprietor of the songs I compose. But I want a share. There's nothing wrong with that. I can't run to music companies like T-Series and Sa Re Ga Ma every time I need to use my own song. I realise that I have a huge fight on hand, although I don't see it as a fight. It's not like the British rock band Queen which owned sole copyright of all its songs. But I won't run to music companies in Mumbai for the rights for my songs every time I want to perform them at concerts. Music companies must recognise the changing ground reality. Today, conventional outlets for music sales are drying up. Soon all music will be free while the performers and performances will be paid for," he says. But the problem is that Bollywood producers are not willing to share Rahman's demand for the share in the royalty for a song. "Any change is frowned at. But I'm standing up for what I think is right. Yes, producers will back out. But that's fine. I've always been asked why I haven't done a non-film album. Now, I have the time to do that," he asserts confidently.
Owing to his take on this he has decided not to work in Farah Khan's next film 'Om Shanti Om'. Clearing the issue further he says, "I'm not doing Farah Khan's Om Shanti Om. But that doesn't mean there's any quarrel with her or with Shah Rukh who is producing her film. Farah and I go back a long way. We did Bombay Dreams together. In fact, I did some tunes for Om Shanti Om, which Farah has now returned to me, not because she didn't like them but because we just couldn't agree on my terms. In fact Shah Rukh tried his utmost to see and to put forward my point of view," he says.
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