Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed recently put forward a bill to secure royalties for Pakistani artists, in the Senate. The issue of royalties has been under debate since early 2021, after members of the artist fraternity came forward to demand their due rights through a social media movement #RoyaltiesforArtists.
A royalty is a financial compensation that is paid to the actors, film or TV directors, and other artists involved in making a TV show or movie in cases of reruns, DVD release, or online streaming release of the recorded production. Royalties usually comprise of a small fraction (2-5 percent) of the original fee the actor was paid for her appearance in an episode. This percentage is paid every time an episode is run forever.
The PTI Senator Faisal Javed announced on Monday, through Twitter that he had tabled a royalties bill for the country’s artists, a resolution of which was passed unanimously last year. He wrote, “Glad to announce that today it was indeed a pleasure tabling the much-needed royalties bill especially for the poor creative people of our country.”
The lack of payment of royalties had been a significant concern for the artist fraternity adding to the financial hardship for artists and creative professionals in the country, particularly in light of the politicoreligious propaganda the performing arts are subjected to in the country.
