Tag: Royalties

  • Senator Faisal Javed Khan puts forward royalties bill to protect artists

    Senator Faisal Javed Khan puts forward royalties bill to protect artists

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed Khan has put forward a bill to ensure royalties for artists.
    Taking to Twitter on Monday, the senator wrote that last year, a lot of awareness was raised about the need to ensure royalties for artists. He therefore was putting forward a bill in the Senate, ensuring creative people are prioritized.
    Royalties are payments made to artists when a show that they have worked on is re-run on television.
    “After getting the resolution passed unanimously last year. Glad to announce that today it was indeed a pleasure tabling the much needed royalties bill especially for the poor creative people of our country. #RoyaltiesForArtists Hoping to get it passed soon Insha’ALLAH”

    “Artists have been facing the issue of rightful & just royalties for a long time due to redundant and out-dated provisions of relevant laws. The amendment in copyright ordinance 1962 aims at empowering copyright board to fix the royalties for licencing & assignment of work”

    Actors like Vasay Chaudhry applauded the bill, and marked it as an important decision to protect creative people in Pakistan, as he pointed out how shows are consistently aired on television shows, but actors or writers whose efforts led to the show’s success, are not given proper compensation.

    Last year, the hashtag #giveroyaltiestoartists began trending on Twitter as celebrities like Ushna Shah and Mansha Pasha used their twitter accounts to shed awareness on the limited support creative artists have to remain financially secure for their remaining life, after veteran actress Naila Jafri passed away battling cancer.

  • Yasir Hussain highlights plight of ‘Ainak Wala Jinn’ cast, importance of royalties

    Yasir Hussain highlights plight of ‘Ainak Wala Jinn’ cast, importance of royalties

    Yasir Hussain has highlighted the plight of Ainak Wala Jinn cast and has requested Prime Minister Imran Khan to help them amidst the ongoing debate on royalties.

    Read more – Faysal Quraishi, Ayesha Omar give a crash course on royalties

    Sharing a photo of PM Khan with Ainak Wala Jinn’s cast, Hussain drew attention towards the financial troubles these icons have had to undergo since the 90s comedy show ended years ago. The purpose was to add onto the nationwide movement backed by showbiz personalities to be paid royalties for their work and serials that are re-run repeatedly.

    Hussain also mentioned how gruesome it has been for the cast to find suitable roles after Ainak Wala Jinn.

    “Did you know that the cast of Ainak Wala Jinn was never cast for any other drama? Some of them died of hunger while others are hardly surviving on charity,” lamented Hussain.

    The actor also reminded the PM how these actors are the sole reason why he could build all the hospitals he has so far.

    “[PM] Imran Khan, these people have supported you from the days when you placed the first brick of your hospital to the beginning of your political journey,” Hussain asserted, adding that our government needs to offer help to veteran artists and have mercy on those who have been part of our showbiz for generations.

    Read more – ‘Govt working to introduce royalty payments for artists’

    Ainak Wala Jinn was one of the biggest serials that children grew up watching on PTV for years. The show continued for four seasons with the same cast as. Be it Zakota Jinn or Bil Batori, the dialogues are still remembered till this date with many in their homes mimicking their favourite characters.

    This is not the first time that Hussain has raised his voice in support of senior artists. He was also among the first Pakistani celebrities, who spoke in support of Naila Jaffery and urged the government to help the ailing actress.

  • Faysal Quraishi, Ayesha Omar give a crash course on royalties

    Faysal Quraishi, Ayesha Omar give a crash course on royalties

    Pakistani artists from the entertainment industry on Monday came together to start a campaign on social media. The hashtag #GiveRoyaltiesToArtists was posted all over Instagram and Twitter as actors, musicians, models and others stood together to demand royalties for artists.

    Following the feedback which some artists got on their posts, along with some hate comments, Ayesha Omar and Faysal Quraishi took to their respective Instagram accounts to give a crash course of what royalties are and what is it that artists are really asking for.

    Omar wrote: “I did some research…. was very helpful. All over the world, artists get residuals and royalties. It is their due right. That’s how they survive.”

    “P.s. A couple of decades ago, royalties were given to Pakistani artists by PTV. Then it all changed. This movement has been started to secure the future of actors/artists/performers in their times of need. More like a pension of sorts, for their hard work and contributions and for all that comes with being in the entertainment industry,” she added.

    “Lots of people don’t understand the meaning of royalties and are not even bothering to check what this term means, before writing insensitive, mean and derogatory comments,” said Ayesha. “Some do know but are still being demeaning and downright horrible. Some don’t understand why this campaign has started. Others are genuinely curious and want to find out more. Some agree wholeheartedly. Some are offering excellent explanations. Some think artists are asking to be ‘treated’ like ‘Royalty’ and mocking us. So, let’s talk about royalties.”

    Omar went on to address the difference between royalties and residuals, as some tend to confuse the two terms. Sharing definitions of each term, Omar shared a screenshot highlighting the difference between the two. “Royalties are payments made to you by a one to one contract between you and the licensor or publisher” while “Residuals are payments made to you because of a UNION collective bargaining contract Union representing Actors, Writer or Directors and Producers and Studios covering reuse (reruns) and new use” read the slide. According to the same, “residuals tend to scale down over time while royalties always remain the same percentage.”

    While Omar also shared some comments which were made under her post regarding royalties for artists.

    Faysal Quraishi chose to address the matter through a video.

    Speaking directly to his followers, Quraishi explained how the whole movement began as a result of Naila Jaffery’s plea for royalties. Referring to artists around the world, Quraishi mentioned how writers get royalties for each book sold and the same applies to actors and painters for their services. However, more than actors, it is the producer who usually suffers more. After paying off the team and investing in a project, producers in Pakistan tend to face delays in their payments. Quraishi mentioned how independent producers like him even tend to give up on the profession due to these problems.

    Coming to ‘royalties’ and what they mean, the actor provided quite a simple definition. Quraishi explained how royalties are much like pension which is received by an individual after they have retired and have reached the end of their career. The same way, artists are also entitled to receive a certain amount even after they have stopped providing their serviced.

    Quraishi also explained how the campaign is not just for actors, but everyone involved in creating projects for the entertainment industry. Elaborating on the number of people employed for a single production, Quraishi emphasised on how royalties are meant to benefit everyone, and not just actors and are essential in keeping the cycle going.

    Earlier, Ruswai actor Osama Tahir had also explained what royalties are and why Pakistani artists are demanding them.

  • ‘Govt working to introduce royalty payments for artists’

    The federal government is working to introduce a comprehensive bill to ensure that artists are given financial credit for their work, PTI Senator Faisal Javed Khan has announced.

    “Most countries around the world give royalties to artists every time a show, their work is re-run, a second time or more,” wrote Faisal on Twitter. “Sadly in Pakistan where many artists are already underpaid, there is no policy or law ensuring that artists be given financial credit for their work.”

    The Senator further said that it is “very critical to fill the gaps and bring proper framework via amendments in legislation to ensure that our producers [and] artists get their rights to royalties.”

    Khan added that he is in touch with all stakeholders and is looking to introduce a comprehensive bill to address the matter.

    Speaking exclusively to The Current on the matter, Senator Faisal said: “Royalty is very important and I am working on this bill to ensure our artists get their due right. I am hoping to get it passed soon without any further delays.”

    Asserting that the government is committed to addressing this issue, Senator Faisal said: “Actors, musicians, singers – all artists must be supported,” adding that they will soon be entitled to royalties.

    Responding to Senator Faisal’s announcement, several artists including Mikaal Zulfiqar, Ali Zafar, Ali Safina and Sakina Samo lauded the initiative and hoped that it would resolve artists’ concerns.

    https://twitter.com/SakinaSamo/status/1381551181483413504?s=20

    Ever since Naila Jaffery appealed to producers and the government to pay royalties to actors for the work and content that is re-run, the conversation around royalty payments for artists has gained momentum with several actors demanding it.

    “Why is it even a matter of discussion?” Siddiqui had questioned. “Artists rightfully deserve to be paid royalty.”

    “So many producers and channels rake in copious amount of money through reruns. It is only ethical to pay actors their due,” he added.

    “We as a community of artists, singers, actors, writers, producers, directors, composer, editors and so on, need to be recognised by our government as an industry,” asserted Ahmed Ali Butt had.

    Zulfiqar was the first one to demand payment for reruns and after Jaffery’s appeal, several artists including Yasir Hussain, Sabeeka Imam, Ayesha Omar and Mansha Pasha had demanded TV channels for royalties.

    Earlier in July 2020, the government had announced that it will be creating a film task force to promote the entertainment industry and resolve its issues. Members of the government including Senator Shibli Faraz had held a virtual meeting with artists and stakeholders involved and shared the government’s intentions. They also discussed issues being faced by the film industry and their proposed solutions. Among those present during the meeting included Humayun Saeed, Vasay Chaudhry, Ali Zafar, Fizza Ali Meerza and Nadeem Mandviwala.

    Chaudhry, while speaking to The Current, had said that Senator Shibli had shown a “keen interest in the issues of royalties when it was brought up by me.”

    “He told us that the issue of royalties of artistes is very close to his heart and he will make sure to do something about it,” shared Vasay.