Cops perk up when Ford sings |and wrong piper gets paid
One reason why some musicians refuse to perform their own hits from the past and instead dish out tunes borrowed from overseas has emerged in the case of Sobchai "Ford" Kraiyoonsen.
The singer-composer-record producer got a letter from the cops a week ago today asking him to please drop by for a chat about the song “Yud Trong Nee Tee Ther”.
Someone shared the police letter on the social media, along with the news that RS Plc holds the copyright to that particular tune, which Ford had performed at a wedding party on August 30. The police want to quiz Ford about his knowledge of the copyright or lack thereof – and who paid him to sing that song. RS is waiting with a lawsuit in its fist for whoever organised the wedding.
Most people reading this online went, “Uh-oh.” Does this mean the music industry is getting really, really tough about copyright – to the extent that playing a song anywhere can get you in trouble?
“If a song is performed in a pub, the owner has to take responsibility, but this was a wedding party, not a commercial event,” artist-songwriter Pongprom Snitwong Na Ayuthaya pointed out. “This case is very ugly and I’ll be following it ’til the end.”
“Singers know the ‘rules’, and when they perform they pick songs that have no copyright problem. But this case poses a serious question – in the future no artist will want to write a song for music companies if they use the copyright law against the artists!” warns former singer-songwriter Kalyakorn Naksompop.
As the case gathered momentum on the networks, a lot more concern was voiced about “excessive” enforcement of the law. Targeting non-commercial events like weddings (and who knows what’s next – retirement parties?) is perhaps going too far.
Ford has had zero to say about the affair so far, but RS can expect a great deal of hostile attention if it pursues the case further. Music firms have gone after people before who hired singers for private events. If you’re planning a party, better check first who owns the copyright to “Happy Birthday” and For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow”.
Second one simple for Boom
Congratulations to former Miss Thailand Panadda “Boom” Wongphudee on her wedding to Ekkarin “Ekk” Nilsetthi at Chern Tawan Field in Chiang Rai on the weekend.
The event was much simpler compared to her first wedding. She’d hinted long beforehand that she didn’t want anything so lavish this time.
The 39-year-old former beauty queen’s first marriage ended in divorce in 2007 after just two years. The wedding was one those “events of the year” – she wore five different dresses and the evening outfit alone cost more than Bt1 million.
So this time Boom decided not so much boom. She and her betrothed gave alms to the monks in the morning and then attended a sermon by V Vajiramedhi. Boom still looks glamorous, but she’s earned a lot of praise for focusing more on the substance of her relationships now rather than material yens.
We join many others in wishing her a long, happy marriage and contentment based on simpler living.
