JASRAC's Monopoly Doomed as Avex Breaks Off

In 1929, a German diplomat Wilhelm Plage proclaimed he was in a position to collect fees to every western music played and performed in Japan. Japanese radio stations and orchestras were asked to obtain a permit and pay charges for every music broadcast and performed.

No international telecommunications existed, not to mention the internet, to verify whether or not Plage had a case, the Japanese music world was temporarily thrown into a state of confusion.

The Japanese government quickly enacted a law pertaining to broking over copyrights requiring copyright-related matters to be subject to the Internal Ministry's sanction.

It was then a Japan Society of Right of Authors and Composers was set up and authorized by the ministry to administer all that concerned copyrights. That was the forerunner of the JASRAC, Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers.

Now, this JASRAC inherited much of the predecessor's monopolistic features and has since administered copyrights in Japan across the board.

Avex Entertainment Inc., Avex, broke off JASRAC with some 100 thousand titles under its supervision to seemingly frustrate the JASRAC's monopoly and eventually shake loose the whole framework of Japan's copyright administration.

According to Business Journal, Lawyer Jun Yamazaki, executive officer of Avance Legal Group LPC, compares the JASRAC's activities to a 100m dash for the country A to win a gold medal for sure:

one, to arrange a fake thereby for one to win
two, all racers to simultaneously goal for all to win
three, make all racers citizens of the country A for anyone to win

Yamagishi points out the JASRAC adopts virtually the last of the three options.

Yamagishi expects Avex's drift away from the JASRAC will affect traditional practices in copyright administration leading to competition and activation in Japan's music market.