Collecting societies
Malaysian collective management organisations (MACP, PPM, RPM)
Licensing bodies · Declared licensing bodies under the Copyright Act 1987
What this does to artists
Public performance and broadcast of music in Malaysia is licensed through declared licensing bodies, and there is more than one because there is more than one right in a recording. MACP licenses the musical work for composers and publishers, PPM licenses the sound recording for record companies, and RPM collects the performers' equitable remuneration. A venue, festival or broadcaster needs to deal with each of them, and a songwriter or performer who is not a member collects nothing from any of them.
Check that the body invoicing you currently holds a declaration before you pay. A declaration runs for two years and must be renewed, operating without one is an offence under s.27A(8), and both PRISM and MRM kept issuing invoices after losing theirs. Disputes about a licensing scheme or the terms of a licence go to the Copyright Tribunal rather than the civil courts.
What to read first
Section numbers read out of the AGC text itself
Where this one bites
DJ a club night
You are playing other people's recordings to a paying room. Three separate licences, one venue licence, a stat…
ScenarioPost a set, reel or performance video
Uploading is reproduction and communication to the public, and then four separate speech regimes sit on top of…
ScenarioBusk or perform in the street
The rule that decides whether you can play is almost always your own council's by-law, and nobody publishes th…
ScenarioRelease and distribute a track
Ownership, registration and the two separate rights in every recording.…
ScenarioLicence a song for an ad, film or game
Two permissions, usually from two different owners, and a blanket licence is neither of them.…
ScenarioStage a play, gig or live show
Two sets of performing rights, a venue licence, a duty on admissions, and the question of what your cast actua…
This page is published by ALIM (Art × Law Initiative Malaysia) as general legal information for Malaysia’s creative communities. It is not legal advice. It does not take your circumstances into account, and reading it does not create a solicitor-client relationship with ALIM or with anyone associated with it.
The law changes. Each Act reproduced here is the Attorney General’s Chambers’ consolidated reprint and carries the date it was consolidated to; amendments made after that date do not appear in the text, and the authoritative version of any Malaysian law is the one published in the Federal Gazette. Subsidiary legislation, state enactments and local authority by-laws may also apply to your situation and are largely outside this library.
Please do not act, or decide not to act, on the strength of this page alone. Take advice from an advocate and solicitor on your own facts. To the extent permitted by law, ALIM and its contributors accept no liability for any loss arising from reliance on this page.
If you have a live problem, talk to us. It is free and confidential.