Almaty fitness-clubs to pay for music

Photo courtesy of km.ru

Kazakhstan's Society for Management of Performers' Rights started to charge owners of fitness-centers for using the music for commercial purpose, a Tengrinews.kz journalist reports citing Aigerim Myrzakhmetova, the director of Blesk dance-studio. As per the company director, the Society representatives accuse her of copyright violation and unauthorized use of music. However, Myrzakhmetova says that her studio mainly uses oriental music of the authors not listed in the Society. To this the agent of Kazakhstan Society for Management of Performers' Rights replies that the use of folk music is also subject to taxes. “They said that I have to pay around 20 thousand tenge ($150) a month: the rates depend on the facility’s floor area,” said the business-woman. But later she managed to talk the Society into letting her pay only two thousand tenge ($15) a month and signed the agreement. A list of companies already contracted to the human right activists includes fitness-clubs, billiard clubs, restaurants and beauty salons. Darkhan Ozimkhan, the director general of Kazakhstan Society for Management of Performers' Rights has confirmed this information. The Ministry of Justice has confirmed legitimacy of charging for music use, but pointed out that Society representatives are not authorized to charge for folk music. “As per Article 8 of the Copyright Law folk art creations are not subject to copyright and their reproduction should not be charged for,” said the authority.

Kazakhstan's Society for Management of Performers' Rights started to charge owners of fitness-centers for using the music for commercial purpose, a Tengrinews.kz journalist reports citing Aigerim Myrzakhmetova, the director of Blesk dance-studio. As per the company director, the Society representatives accuse her of copyright violation and unauthorized use of music. However, Myrzakhmetova says that her studio mainly uses oriental music of the authors not listed in the Society. To this the agent of Kazakhstan Society for Management of Performers' Rights replies that the use of folk music is also subject to taxes. “They said that I have to pay around 20 thousand tenge ($150) a month: the rates depend on the facility’s floor area,” said the business-woman. But later she managed to talk the Society into letting her pay only two thousand tenge ($15) a month and signed the agreement. A list of companies already contracted to the human right activists includes fitness-clubs, billiard clubs, restaurants and beauty salons. Darkhan Ozimkhan, the director general of Kazakhstan Society for Management of Performers' Rights has confirmed this information. The Ministry of Justice has confirmed legitimacy of charging for music use, but pointed out that Society representatives are not authorized to charge for folk music. “As per Article 8 of the Copyright Law folk art creations are not subject to copyright and their reproduction should not be charged for,” said the authority.