Licensing & Permission Required For Organizing A Musical Event In India

A musical event may look glamorous and jazzy from the outside, the work that goes into putting together a music concert is no piece of cake. From inception to the encore, these things take time, and often lots of it, to get it right. But the most important thing to keep in mind when planning this kind of event is the right paperwork you need to gather to the permits required from the relevant authority to avoid any legal conflict. It is not uncommon to need more than one type of license and several types of permits. These can vary widely from region to region, and this could involve things like obtaining an alcohol license or getting a license for playing particular music. In case you do not have the necessary insurance, legal actions could be taken against you and your event.

Here is the list of licenses that are fully compliant with all the relevant rules and regulations that are likely to apply permissions for:

No Objection Certificate: It is a legal document, published by an organization or a person to declare that they have no problem with the stated details in the document. It is used to nullify any objection by the party concerned in the process. For organizing a concert, you need to get NOC from the Local Police Station, the Traffic Police Department, the Fire Brigade, Electrical Inspector, Health Department of BMC (if food is served) and Police Commissioners Note. If the event is a sangeet function in the vicinity of your society, you need to get NOC from society's secretary your landlord or neighbors in your apartment and the apartment owners association. And If the society is hosting a musical event they will have to get NOC from its members and residents in the apartment.

The Indian Performing Right Society Limited (IPRS): The IPRS is an organization that issues licenses permitting usage of Music within India by any person. It is a licence for the artistes, of the artistes. Any event that has a live performance by an artist in India requires IPRS license and the artist should be a registered member of the same. The body collects payments, called royalties on behalf of the Authors, the Composers and the Publishers of Music and distributed to them after deducting its administrative costs.

PPL(Phonographic Performance Limited India): If your event requires to play recorded music or video of other artists publicly than you must have the prior consent of PPL. It has the right to collect fees for the music you consume, on behalf of its member music labels and distribute it amongst them.

NOVEX: If you want to play any musical works, sound recordings, or any part thereof,from the leading brands like YRF, Shemaroo, Tips, Zee Music and Eros, in any format, in audio, visual and/or audio you need to issue the NOVEX license. It is the authorized agent of these brands and so you will be required this license for playing any music that falls under the above mentioned brands

Excise Licence : If you want to serve alcohol at your musical event, you would require an excise license. It is a tax levied for the sale or supply of alcohol in a live or recorded music event in India. The license is applicable for inside and outside of the premises. If the event will take place at an alcohol on-licensed premises then the organizer need not procure a license. On the other hand, if the hotel or venue doesn’t have a liquor serving license, the organizer needs to obtain one for his event.

Premises Licence: Licensable activities at musical events including late-night entertainment between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m, the audience of over 500 people, selling alcohol as well as serving food and beverages between 11 p.m. and 5 p.m requires premises license. For applying, you need to get in touch with the nearby municipal authority of the venus where the event has been scheduled.

Loudspeaker Licence: As the name suggests, any public musical event that requires a loudspeaker,should obtain this license from the local police authorities under whose purview the venue falls. The authorities has the right to limit the size and number of speakers considering the nature of the event. This license is required even if the public event is at a private venue.

Commercial tax (entertainment tax): The tax applies if your musical event consists of a ticketing system. Commercial Tax or the entertainment tax is the amount calculated based on the estimated number of tickets to be sold. The entertainment tax varies across various cities and states. the tickets need to be stamped by the Commercial Taxes department so the payment should be made well in advance. in case the number of tickets sold is less, the amount paid in advance is refunded.

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