VietNamNet Bridge – The Performing Arts Agency plans to collect the songs composed before 1975 and the song of overseas musicians to reviewed, licensed and updated regularly on its website.

 

 

The Performing Arts Agency's director Nguyen Dang Chuong.

Mr. Nguyen Dang Chuong, the agency’s head, says that the agency has sent dispatches to the Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism of all provinces and cities across the country to ask them coordinating in the collection of the songs composed before 1975 in the South, as well as songs composed by overseas musicians.

"This is a long-term task. We have established the song censorship council and we will regularly receive songs recommended by local Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism, individuals and organizations for evaluation on a weekly basis. The songs that are licensed to perform will be updated on our website," Chuong says.

He adds that this is consistent with the policy of national reconciliation of the State, at the same time contributing to enrich the value of Vietnamese music.

According to the official, thanks to this reform, individuals and organization operating in the field of performing arts will not have to apply for permission for using songs, gradually removing the "ask-give" mechanism in licensing songs.

Mr. Vo Trong Nam, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, says that the department has received the dispatch from the Performing Art Agency on song licensing.

Nam praises this move, saying that it will help make better quality management of songs, record production activities and performances, thereby creating favorable conditions for businesses in this area.

"In the past our Department repeatedly held evaluations of songs compiled 1975. This time, to do as the desires of the Performing Art Agency, we need careful preparation. We have contacted the General Library of Ho Chi Minh City, music associations or the organizations that collect songs and music. In addition, records firms are also a good source to provide lists of songs," Nam says.

However, the official says this task is not easy and it needs a detailed, meticulous plan, even the involvement of the security forces to check personal records of musicians. Also, this task needs funds.

"The Performing Art Agency should have a detailed plan to submit to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, then closely coordinate with relevant departments in Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces to implement the plan, with details of time and budget," Nam adds.

Most of organizations operating in the field of performing arts in Ho Chi Minh City have not been notified nor received any written request for cooperation from state agencies in collecting the songs compiled before 1975 and those composed by overseas musicians.

However, when they knew the information through the media, they are very excited and warmly welcome the move. They say that the new approaches will help them save time and effort.

Ms. Truong Thi Thu Dung, director of the Rang Dong Audio Center, says that recording firms have repeatedly asked the Performing Arts Agency to reduce the complexity of the process of licensing the songs written before 1975 and they have expected a change for a long time.

Until now, when singers or companies want to produce a music product or to perform songs compiled before 1975, they have to apply for permission from the Performing Arts Agency. The agency then establishes an expertise board to evaluate.

This council has many members who are not staff of the Performing Arts Agency but many musicians. So, it is uneasy to immediately set up a council to evaluate several songs. The agency, therefore, waits until it receives a suitable number of songs for evaluation. It also has to evaluate and license the same songs many times.

“That working style is so time consuming and it shows the ask-give mechanism. If all songs are listed and submitted to the Performing Arts Agency for approval once, it will be very much easier for us," Dung says.

Mr. Huynh Tiet, director of Ben Thanh Audio, also praises this method, saying that music producers will be more active in choosing the songs that they like and want to use in advance to recommend for the Performing Arts Agency for approval.

Ms. Luong Minh Hong - Director of Vietnamese Voice Company – says that this method can help avoid the overlap in getting licenses for songs.

However, they wonder how the Agency will make the list of licensed songs public. Since 2008 the Agency has said to have a website for listing licensed songs, but so far it has not been done. It is also a controversy that whether the Agency makes public the list of licensed songs or the list of unlicensed songs.

The volume of old music works, particularly the songs compiled before 1975 is huge and very diverse in subjects and genres. In addition, the need to perform and enjoy this kind of music is now quite large.

 

 

Singer Anh Tuyet.

"If the state management agencies are open in the review and evaluation of the works of high value, many places will be the same collect old songs to contribute to enrich the country’s music," said Mr. Huynh Tiet.

Singer Anh Tuyet agrees with this view. In late 2012, she collected about 2,000 songs compiled before 1975 and sent them to the Performing Arts Agency. She is also one of the first who have initiated the exploration of this genre of music in the country.

Anh Tuyet says that when she knew about the new move of the Performing Arts Agency, she was both happy and worried. She was happy because this shows that the national reconciliation policy of the state has come into my life and cultural activities. But the state agencies should get rid of the stereotypes for evaluation.

"We should not use a microscope to examine the unnecessary things in the songs that have a life beyond time in the hearts of the Vietnamese audience. If the old concept is still kept, the local artists and the audience will suffer the first because they cannot perform or enjoy valuable works," Anh Tuyet confides.

T. Van