Kathmandu. The music royalty collection society has collected four lakh rupees royalty from the means of transport in the month of November. Badri Pandey, general secretary of the society, said that the money was collected through the monitoring of the society and the traffic police.
In that month alone, the society collected royalties at Jagati, Thankot and Dakshinkali, the major checkpoints of Kathmandu. He said that there is an increase in the number of vehicles, hotels, restaurants and schools that get green stickers by paying royalty. The royalty collection does not include the share of hotels, restaurants and schools.
According to General Secretary Pandey, the society has been given ultimatums of 21, 7 and 3 days respectively to pay music royalty to five-star hotels, coffee shops including Himalaya Java. “Within the given date, we will proceed according to the law without taking a music license or paying royalties,” he said.
Pandey said that they are ready to proceed according to the law as many places are unwilling to take license and pay royalty. “Registration for royalty has increased,” he said.
Earlier, hoteliers and transporters have protested against the society’s action of collecting royalty by giving an ultimatum. But the society says that they have proceeded on a legal basis.
‘This campaign has shown that you can feed your stomach even by creating,’ said Pandey. The society is preparing to conduct the royalty collection campaign in other districts after Kathmandu.
