How much does the Indian music industry lose every year on music piracy and what has been the industrys stand and activities to curb it?
A. Even the most conservative estimates on piracy in India puts it at 50 per cent of the total market. The legitimate size of the industry is $100 million. So we lose the equivalent of that every year. And, it is this loss that impacts our ability to sign, nurture and market new talent. The incentive is lost and this results in companies adopting ‘safe’ and ‘money-spinning’ tricks like remixes and other cheap gimmicks that set off a vicious cycle of poor products and lower consumer interest and involvement. The industry has undertaken several activities to curb down piracy. This includes constant lobbying with the government to tighten laws on piracy, to introduce controls on CD plants, to delete the cover version clause in the Copyright Act, to deter piracy by making it a criminal offense. The industry is also increasing pressure on the police department to see piracy as a serious crime. We are aware that priorities are high on issues such as security, crime and theft. The irony is th
