Retailers win music pay battle

The Constitutional Court has dismissed a case between the SA Music Performance Association and six of the country's biggest retailers regarding needle-time royalties - meaning music royalty rates will remain the same for musicians.

After having gone through the Copyright Tribunal, High Court and Supreme Court of Appeal in the past three years, the association took the case to the Constitutional Court hoping to have it referred back to the tribunal.

The dispute was over the rate payable to South African musicians for background music played in stores.

The association argued that the current tariff was less than the international standard and did not take into consideration the value the music being played brought to the stores.

The retailers - including Foschini, Pepkor, Mr Price and Truworths - argued that the tariff proposed by the association was exorbitant and was erroneously calculated according to the rates of some of the wealthiest countries in the world.

The Constitutional Court said the association's case had "no prospect of success" - and no oral arguments were heard.

Source: The Times via I-Net Bridge