EEMA Welcomes Government Move To Streamline India’s Music Licensing Regime

The Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA) has welcomed a series of major policy-level developments aimed at streamlining India’s music licensing ecosystem following a high-level meeting chaired by Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on May 14, 2026, at Vanijya Bhawan.

The meeting brought together representatives from the events and exhibition industries, hospitality sector, venue owners and key music industry stakeholders to address long-standing operational, financial and regulatory challenges surrounding music licensing in India.

EEMA was represented by Sabbas Joseph and Ankur Kalra, while senior film and television personality Shashi Ranjan attended on behalf of the Indian Television Academy.

During the discussions, EEMA highlighted the legal, operational and financial difficulties event organisers continue to face under the current licensing structure, while urging the government to create a more transparent, practical and industry-friendly framework.

One of the biggest takeaways from the meeting was the clarification around wedding-related exemptions under Section 52 of the Copyright Act. According to EEMA, the minister stated that the interpretation of “marriage” should include associated celebrations such as Roka, Mehndi, Sangeet, Reception and related ceremonies, rather than being limited only to the wedding ritual itself.

The minister also directed officials to begin a formal clarification process through an amendment to the Indian Copyright Act and instructed that the matter be placed before the Parliamentary Standing Committee at the earliest.

Another major focus area was the review and reform of the Sangeet Dwar Portal and the Single Window Licensing mechanism after stakeholders raised concerns around operational efficiency, commercial viability and implementation challenges.

In addition, the committee led by Anoop Jalota and Sanjay Tandon has reportedly been tasked with addressing tariff and operational concerns within 30 days to help create a more balanced, competitive and compliance-friendly licensing framework.

Commenting on the development, Ankur Kalra said the meeting marked the culmination of years of collective efforts by the events and entertainment industry towards building a fairer and more transparent music licensing ecosystem in India.

He added that the proposed reforms could significantly reduce unnecessary disputes, litigation and operational roadblocks while enabling the industry to focus on experience creation, employment generation and contributing to India’s growing creative economy.