PPL is a copyright society for sound recordings registered with the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

Says Sanjeev Sood, Business Development Manager, PPL, Punjab, “So far, we have not more than 2,000 licence holders in Punjab. In Ludhiana this number is not more than 200. Only three hotels, Park Plaza, Fortune Classic and Country Inn have taken a licence apart from a few DJs. The rest are not taking this seriously”.

Sood said there is an annual fee ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 35,000 depending upon the type of commercial establishment. In case of violation of this provision, the owner can be arrested and can also be produced before a magistrate without any arrest warrant. The punishment can be from 6 months to 3 years and the fine ranges from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh.

Another BDM, Sanjeev Wadhwa, said, “There are 47 categories under the public performance licence. In north India last year, our revenue was around Rs 5 crore but the potential is much more, not less than Rs 15 crore a year. Only a few have complied with the provision as of now and many still don’t understand it. In Chandigarh, we had to book a DJ under the Copyright Act after he refused to take a licence. Finally, he had to register. Our idea is not to punish violators but to make them comply with this Act”.