RAO explained the procedure for paying remuneration to musicians-foreign agents

Russian musicians with foreign agent status and foreign artists face difficulties in obtaining royalties for the public reproduction of their compositions. The Russian Authors’ Society (RAO) said that the remuneration for them goes to a special account, the funds from which can be withdrawn with the permission of the government. This was reported RBC with reference to the RAO press service and sources.

According to RBC, in recent months, none of the musicians-foreign agents they interviewed received payments for the public performance of their songs. “RAO stopped any communications with us, we don’t receive any deductions,” Elena Savelyeva, director of rapper Ivan Alekseev (stage name Noize MC; recognized as a foreign agent), told RBC.

As explained in RAO, according to the presidential decree, remuneration to right holders from unfriendly countries is made only through a special ruble account “O”. A special account is opened at the request of the user, not the copyright holder; funds can be withdrawn from it only with the permission of the government commission.

The RAO added that the same procedure applies to musicians who supported sanctions against Russia, “insulted the people of Russia, its leadership and state symbols, spread fakes about the Russian army or denigrated its armed forces in the media and social networks.”

“All the performers recognized as such have managed to make a lot of offensive anti-Russian statements and therefore fall under the decree,” the RAO said.

Olesya Pavlenko