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India’s Music Composers, Screenwriters Associations Ink Historic Fair Credit Deal; Vishal Bhardwaj Hails ‘Collaborative Future’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Indian music composers and screenwriters bodies sign agreement ensuring equal co-authorship status and fair contracts for lyricists and composers.
The milestone memorandum of understanding, inked after months of negotiations, establishes composers and lyricists as “equal co-authors” in song creation, designating both as “primary artists” for credit purposes. SWA general secretary Zama Habib, the screenwriter behind immensely popular Star India TV series “Anupamaa” and “Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai,” characterized the MoU as a “declaration” that lyricists and music directors stand united as “co-artists, ensuring fair credit, mutual respect, and professional independence.” “A music room with a composer and a lyricist who trust each other is a beautiful place,” noted Raj Shekhar, Executive Committee Member of SWA and the pen behind hits for Netflix’s “Mismatched,” Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s “Animal” (2023) and Aanand L. Rai’s “Tanu Weds Manu” (2011).
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