From November 1st to 11th, downloading music online will incur a fee.

Several major music websites have signed an agreement to simultaneously implement a service fee for online music downloads starting November 1st, at approximately 1,000 VND per download.

This information was presented at the seminar "Vietnamese Digital Music - Current Situation and Solutions" organized by the Vietnam Recording Industry Association (RIAV) and MVCorp on August 15th in Ho Chi Minh City. Participants included representatives from relevant agencies such as the Copyright Office, the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, representatives from websites, network operators, and copyright protection centers.

The plan is to start charging for online music downloads from November 1st.

For a long time, the issue of music copyright infringement on the internet and mobile devices has been a subject of much debate. Mr. Nguyen Minh Kha – Deputy General Director of NCT Corporation – stated that many websites currently upload music for free download, without paying royalties. He believes that only when solutions are found to prevent these "pirated" sites and those evading copyright fees can the problem of copyright infringement be thoroughly addressed. Mr. Tran Chien Thang – President of the Vietnam Recording Association – said: “The Vietnamese recording industry is suffering serious damage due to the free music downloads on the internet and mobile devices. The Association's output of CDs and DVDs has decreased by more than 80% in the last five years. Producers cannot continue to invest in new music projects because they are certain to incur losses.”

Therefore, experts believe that to end this copyright infringement, it's time for websites and mobile online music services to collectively charge for music downloads. This could generate revenue to support and develop the music industry.

During the seminar, major online music distribution platforms such as Zing, Nhaccuatui, and Socbay.com signed cooperation agreements with MVCorp and are expected to simultaneously begin charging fees on November 1st of this year, at a projected rate of 1,000 VND per music download or a monthly subscription fee (online music streaming will remain completely free). Simultaneously, the Vietnam Recording Industry Association (RIAV) announced MVCorp as its sole partner representing the association in managing rights in the field of mobile networks and mobile phones.

Mr. Phung Tien Cong, Deputy General Director of MVCorp, stated, “As the largest provider of music copyrights today, MVCorp aims to work with relevant parties to build better music services. Consumers will receive a rich, high-quality, and fully copyrighted source of music, while also contributing to reinvestment in the Vietnamese music industry, helping artists have more funds to operate and produce higher-quality products. We are confident that by 2014, 10% of music listeners will pay for copyright fees.”

With the support of Joint Circular No. 07 of the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which came into effect on August 6th, online music production and distribution units are confident and capable of preventing online music services from infringing on copyright.

According to statistics compiled by MVCorp based on multiple sources, Vietnam has over 150 websites selling digital music that violate copyright, most of which are not licensed to allow users to download music products.
In Vietnam, a quarter of the population (over 20 million people) regularly access online websites to download and listen to music. However, only 5% of them agree to pay, 85% do not pay, and the rest are undecided about whether to pay or not.

According to (NLDO)-TL