Singer Anil Singh reclaims rights to his songs, plans to revamp old hits

KATHMANDU: Renowned Nepali singer Anil Singh has announced plans to revive his classic and popular songs with new audiovisual versions after securing rights to use his own creations.

Singh, who had been locked in a long-standing copyright dispute with companies that previously produced his songs, recently reached an agreement with Music.com regarding the copyright and royalties of his music.

The agreement allows him to freely use the audio tracks of his own songs.

Sharing his emotional struggle, Singh said, “I can’t even express in words the pain of not being able to use the songs I created myself. I had allowed those songs to be used for audiovisual production, but later I couldn’t even use them personally, which led me to raise my voice. This agreement marks the first victory in our ongoing fight.”

Prior to the deal, Singh revealed that whenever he performed his own songs on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube, they were taken down due to copyright claims. “I faced many issues as a creator for not being able to use my own work,” he added.

He emphasized that this is not just his personal victory. “Now, other musicians will also be able to sign similar agreements to freely use their creations. Our struggle with other music companies is still ongoing, but this is a major milestone. I won’t give up the fight for our rights,” he said.

As part of the new agreement, Singh will also receive royalties from the audiovisual content currently managed by Music.com. He and Music.com will share the royalties previously received from Music Nepal on a 50/50 basis.

Despite his ongoing battle for rights, Singh stated that he will now increase his participation in musical events. His popular songs include “Engine Gadima,” “I Love You,” “Prem Patra,” “Ghintang,” and “Will You Marry Me.”