"With faith and trust of singers and musicians-- royalty becomes reality-- but Membership of ISAMRA is a must," insist Anup Jalota, Sonu Nigam and Sanjay Tandon--backed by Shahid (Mohd) Rafi !! By Sr. Journalist Chaitanya Padukone

In a historic moment for Indian music, the Indian Singers’ and Musicians’ Rights Association (ISAMRA) has announced a landmark step at its 12th Annual General Meeting — royalties will now be distributed not just to singers but also to musicians, chorus singers, and session artistes. It is the first time in Indian music history that every contributor to a song will share in its value.

The first phase will see 62 musicians and 40 chorus singers receive their dues. Royalties will be handed over by ISAMRA Founder and MD Sanjay Tandon, alongside ISAMRA Chairman Anup Jalota and legends such as Sonu Nigam, Hariharan, Udit Narayan, Anuradha Paudwal, Jaspinder Narula, Sudesh Bhosle, Shailendra Singh among others. It is worth noting that the original body Indian Singers Rights Association (ISRA) was established in 2012

Altruistic by nature eminent versatile singer Sonu Nigam, who had traveled a long distance just to be part of the moment and connect with musicians and chorus singers, summed up the historic milestone: “What began as a small effort has now taken shape into something historic. For the first time, singers, musicians, and chorus singers are getting their rightful royalties through ISAMRA. The faith of the community has always been our pillar of strength, and it is this trust that inspires ISAMRA to work tirelessly for the rights of every artiste in the music fraternity.”

ISAMRA dynamic- visionary Founder and MD Sanjay Tandon echoed the sentiment: “This will be a first in Indian history. Never before have musicians and chorus singers received royalties. We have fought for this for years, and now I stand proud to see it become reality. The most difficult part will be identifying non-featured artistes and their metadata. We urge them to come forward, join ISAMRA, and claim what is rightfully theirs. Even legal heirs and successors of 'deceased'  Singers and Musicians can become Members and claim royalties after proving their authorized legal succession with valid legal documents as required by us .”

ISAMRA  Chairman Anup Jalota underlined the importance of membership: “Unless you become a member, you cannot collect your royalties. At ISAMRA, we charge a nominal Rs 10,000 from singers for lifetime membership, and Rs 2,000 from musicians, adjustable against royalties.. Certain young singers ( like Ankit Tiwari) who were initially skeptical , have earned royalties in lakhs, only after becoming an ISAMRA Member.

For celeb playback singer Jaspinder Narula, the initiative is deeply personal: “I am very happy that ISAMRA is a medium to enable the music community to receive their dues, and I am grateful to be part of such a great movement.”

Veteran playback singer Shailendra Singh framed it as a long-awaited triumph: “It has been a long battle, and this is only just the beginning of royalties to come.”

With  Rs 4.5 crore earmarked for distribution and songs ranging from new chartbusters like Kesariya and Raatan Lambiyaan to evergreen anthems like Kal Ho Naa Ho and Saat Samundar Paar generating dues, ISAMRA has truly rewritten the music rights landscape. For the first time, every note — whether sung or played — will carry its rightful weight.

Singer Udit Narayan praised the Indian Singers and Musicians Rights Association's historic royalty distribution program, saying that after much struggle, success has been achieved in the interests of the music community.

The dignified Shahid Rafi  (singer-son of legendary Mohammed Rafi-saab), who was present at the ISAMRA meet all through, highly appreciated the diligent efforts of Sanjay Tandon, Anup Jalota, Sonu Nigam and the core team, in making this royalty distribution a reality to the actual singers as well as their legal heirs-successors.

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