Dinh Trung Can, General Director of the Vietnam Center for Music Copyright Protection (VCPMC), told VietNamNet that the collection of copyright fees for using musical compositions has had a positive impact on the lives of many musicians.

Can cited Ba as a typical example. Many years ago, he discovered that his song ‘Tinh quan dan’ (the army-civilian affection) was used in the documentary film ‘Vietnam War’, so he reported it to VCPMC.

VCPMC contacted the producer of the movie under a bilateral authorization agreement with BMI (Broadcast Music Inc) in the US.

“The film producer in the US had failed to find information about the song and its author. Also, they might have thought that a song created during the resistance war against France in Vietnam had an expired copyright,” Can explained. 

“When we contacted them, they showed goodwill and cooperation," Can said.

Based on the reports about the number of minutes of the song the film used, and the number of the film viewers on online platforms, plus the performance of the song at events, the author of the song has received $50,000 (VND1 billion) in royalties as of third quarter of 2024.

Several other American movies have also used the song, and their producers have paid royalties to the musician.

“I am happy about this. In general, Xuan Ba, like many other musicians who lived during the wartime, is poor,” Can said. 

“He (musician Xuan Ba) couldn't bear to throw it away. So, he must be very glad to receive the royalty,” he added. “$50,000 will not be the total money Ba can receive because the film continues to be broadcast."

In related news, VCPMC reported that the organization collected VND393 billion worth of royalties for musical works.

At the year-end review conference, Can reported that the number of authors who have authorized VCPMC to collect royalties rose by 729 in 2024, raising the total number authorizing VCPMC to 6,511 as of December 31, 2024.

VCPMC carries out four distribution periods each year, both domestically and internationally, according to the distribution rules of CISAC (International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers). 

It uses international storage and distribution software to enter data and distribute royalties. After completing the distribution data of each quarter, VCPMC makes payments with bank transfers or cash to authors and copyright owners in the first month of the following quarter.

Gia Bao