We refer to the news article titled “Artistes seek MACC probe of ‘hidden hands’ in royalties fiasco” dated Oct 6, where unsubstantiated and baseless allegations have been made of Music Authors’ Copyright Protection Bhd’s (MACP) involvement in the alleged mismanagement of collection of royalties owed to recording artistes, alongside three other companies.
MACP would like to formally deny any involvement in said allegations as we serve songwriters/composers/music publishers and not recording artistes. We assert that the statement made is factually and grossly inaccurate.
Further, MACP would like to stress that we have no knowledge of both the purported existence of RM30 million in undistributed royalties for recording artistes and are not privy to the presence of supposed “hidden hands” as claimed by Freddie Fernandez. We maintain that our company operates with the highest level of credibility, accountability and integrity, and have been serving the music industry with clean hands and dignity.
In fact, Fernandez is a former chairman of MACP for 12 years and we are confident that he is fully aware of our credentials and past records.
M Nasir, our current chairman said: “As the chairman of MACP, I affirm there is no involvement on MACP’s end with regard to the alleged mismanagement of royalties owed to recording artistes as we are only dealing with songwriters/composers/music publishers. The allegations made against MACP are grossly inaccurate and MACP has no knowledge of the accusations.”
“We have received instructions from our client and are currently looking into the matter. At this juncture, it is plain and obvious there is no involvement by MACP and the allegations made are unfounded. Our client will be fully co-operative in the event this matter is investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and we will be reaching out to Freddie Fernandez for clarifications” said Brian Law, of LAW Partnership, the advocate and solicitors representing MACP.
As an organisation with responsibility to its members and the music industry at large, MACP is concerned about any inaccurate allegations made against us that may adversely affect our reputation and create unwarranted anxiety among our members. We trust the media will set the record straight and appreciate any inaccuracy will be corrected as soon as possible.
MACP has at its level best, ensured that all its dealings are done in accordance with the law through good corporate governance and best business practices, giving priority to transparency, accountability and integrity and will continue to serve its members the same way.
Music Authors’ Copyright Protection Berhad is a non-profit organisation whose core functions is to administer, licence and enforce the use of copyright in Malaysia’s music industry.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.