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Performers’ Rights in Sri Lanka

Singers’ Melancholia

  • Book
  • © 2019

Overview

Authors:
  1. Gowri Nanayakkara

    1. School of Law, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, UK

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  • Offers a socio-legal analysis of the use and management of music copyright and performers’ rights in relation to improving the economic position of Sinhala singers in Sri Lankan music

  • Provides a historical analysis of international copyright law and the performers’ rights regime that contrasts singers’ position with that of authors as creators of music

  • Presents a comparative exploration of the ability of international copyright law and the performers’ rights regime to meet the expectations of musical artists in the global south (India and Sri Lanka) and global north (the UK and USA)

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Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-ix
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  2. Separating the Singer from the Song

    • Gowri Nanayakkara
    Pages 1-16

  3. The Sinhala Commercial Music Industry and Its Development

    • Gowri Nanayakkara
    Pages 17-56

  4. The International Emergence of the Performers’ Rights Regime

    • Gowri Nanayakkara
    Pages 57-91

  5. Development of International PRR and the Emergence of Sri Lankan National PRR

    • Gowri Nanayakkara
    Pages 93-121

  6. Issues Faced by Contemporary Commercial Singers in Sri Lanka

    • Gowri Nanayakkara
    Pages 123-168

  7. The Performers’ Rights Regime: The Sri Lankan Vocalists’ Solution or Their Concern?

    • Gowri Nanayakkara
    Pages 169-201

  8. Conclusion

    • Gowri Nanayakkara
    Pages 203-221

  9. Back Matter

    Pages 223-228
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Keywords

About this book

This book explores whether global music copyright law and the performers’ rights regime (PRR) have been able to improve the economic position of artists, as they were originally intended to. The author investigates whether this regime effectively addresses contemporary issues regarding royalty payments and cover songs in Sri Lankan music, drawing on the empirical findings of a case study she conducted on the Sinhala music industry. She finds that the PRR developed internationally and implemented in Sri Lanka is predicated on a particular view of the role of performers and their relationships with other actors in the music industry; although this view can be found in the USA, UK and India, it does not seem to reflect the established practices and relationships within Sri Lanka’s contemporary music industry. While providing a socio-historical and legal analysis of these differing industrial settings and investigating the manner in which they impact the PRR’s (in)ability to deliver improved economic security for Sinhala singers, the book also offers policymakers recommendations on how to supplement current national copyright law and the PRR in order to provide a secure economic position for music artists in Sri Lanka.

Reviews

“This book is a study on performer’s rights in the form of a fascinating journey into the history and culture of Sinhalese music. Deeply researched and lucidly presented, the book explains how the role and status of vocalists in modern copyright law have evolved, and discusses the challenges that still lay ahead. Singers’ Melancholia is a great reading for copyright scholars, music historians, and anyone with an interest in the inner working and development of music industry.” (Maurizio Borghi, Professor of Law and Director, Centre for Intellectual Property Policy & Management, Bournemouth University, UK)

Authors and Affiliations

  • School of Law, Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, UK

    Gowri Nanayakkara

About the author

Dr Gowri Nanayakkara is a Senior Lecturer of Intellectual Property Law and Criminal Law at Canterbury Christ Church University and an Honorary Lecturer at the University of Liverpool. Gowri has presented at international peer-reviewed conferences and panels in Canada, the USA, Mexico, Singapore, Italy and Switzerland, as well as many universities in the UK. A member of the Society of Legal Scholars, Gowri has authored several publications in which she explores the socio-economic and cultural implications at the intersection of Copyright Law, Music, IP and Investment Law. Gowri is originally from Sri Lanka, where she completed her primary legal education with Honours at Sri Lanka Law College and subsequently worked as a legal practitioner in the private bar and at the Attorney General’s Department. Her postgraduate legal studies were completed at the Queen Mary University of London and the University of Kent, UK. 

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Performers’ Rights in Sri Lanka

  • Book Subtitle: Singers’ Melancholia

  • Authors: Gowri Nanayakkara

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6668-0

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Singapore

  • eBook Packages: Law and Criminology, Law and Criminology (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2019

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-981-13-6667-3Published: 26 April 2019

  • eBook ISBN: 978-981-13-6668-0Published: 13 April 2019

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: IX, 228

  • Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: IT Law, Media Law, Intellectual Property, Asian Culture, Commercial Law

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