Asian artists have a unique problem online: a maze of copyright and licensing difficulties that might put their jobs at risk in the huge digital market. The move from physical sales to worldwide streaming has made things more complicated, as national laws and international platform standards don’t always agree, putting creators at risk. This situation calls for immediate clarity and more equitable enforcement for all artists.
Breaking Up Rights Management
Collecting Royalties Across Borders
Independent musicians typically have a hard time collecting streaming royalties in Asian countries because of all the red tape. Because copyright rules and enforcement methods are different in each country, it is hard to keep track of and make money from use. Global platforms can have a hard time working with these broken local processes, which could mean artists who deserve it don’t get paid or their money is delayed.
Piracy and Cultural Norms
A lot of the continent is still losing money because of widespread digital piracy. A history of distributing content freely and unclear legal penalties mean that people use music without permission all the time. Musicians see their work being exploited without permission or pay on video sites and local sites, which hurts their ability to make money a lot.
The Power of Big Tech
Big transnational companies that own most of the world’s streaming and social media sites have a big impact on the licensing environment. These platforms typically set rules that are better for their own interests than for those of individual producers, especially those who don’t have a lot of support from record labels. Asian artists often don’t have the power to negotiate terms that are truly fair.
Overall Thoughts
Asian music has never been more popular than it is now, yet copyright is still a big problem. To ensure musicians are fairly paid for their work, a single, clear mechanism is needed letting Asia’s rich musical culture thrive online in a moral way.