Ministry of Law: Music Royalty Payments Are Not For The State

The West Java Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights has emphasised that payments for the use of commercial songs do not enter the state treasury, but are instead channelled directly to creators through Collective Management Organisations (LMK).

This clarification was provided by the Head of the West Java Regional Office, Asep Sutandar, in response to concerns from hotel, restaurant, and entertainment venue owners in the province who have faced confusion regarding the mechanism and legality of music royalty payments.

“It is important not to misunderstand; these payments are not made to the government, but to the creators, managed by the LMK to ensure coordination. Our aim in conducting this socialisation is to ensure that those using the creative works of others better understand the process,” said Asep Sutandar following a briefing on music royalties in Bandung Regency on Thursday.

During the same event, the Director of Law Enforcement at the Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DJKI), Inspector General Arie Ardian, reminded all owners of commercial business premises to comply with Law Number 28 of 2014 concerning Copyright.

Using songs for business purposes without paying royalties carries the risk of triggering both civil and criminal legal consequences.

He encouraged the integration of centralised music usage data to ensure that the economic rights of songwriters from West Java can be distributed transparently and accurately.

To assist creators in protecting their works, Director General Hermansyah Siregar also announced a policy breakthrough featuring a zero-rupiah tariff for the registration of song creations, which is now directly integrated with the national Song and Music Data Centre.