Melanesian Music

In February, the music department of the Institute of PNG Studies (IPNGS) was raided by the police following up claims by Chin H Meen Studios that the institute was involved in piracy. Equipment and archived recordings were seized. The matter went to court on the 10th of April, and was "struck out for want of prosecution" by the District Court Magistrate. At the end of May the seized cassettes and equipment were returned. A number of the news reports are detailed here, although it must be noted that the accuracy of the reports is at times questionable.

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Post Courier News

Monday 12th February , 2007

Govt's archive raided

THE GOVERNMENT’s cultural music archives was searched and equipment taken by police detectives on Friday.
And senior enthnomusicologist, Don Niles was left bereft of words, as Boroko police rummaged through files and instruments at the Institute of PNG Studies and seized equipment believed to be used in pirating cassettes and CDs.
Mr Niles was not given a chance to say a word as he watched police walk in and grab anything they thought could be used as evidence against the institute.
“We do not pirate cassettes or CDs,” Mr Niles said later. “We hold all copies of any recordings as historical cultural material for the benefit of future generations.”
Police had arrived at the institute’s office on Angau Drive, with a throng of reporters and officials from recording house CHM studio. CHM was suspicious of the institute.
Mr Niles said the institute was chartered by law to hold all cultural music and was a proponent of intellectual property rights law on music copyright.
He said commercial entities provided copies of their recordings to the institute archives.
“For instance, during the Rabaul volcanic eruptions in 1994, Pacific Gold studios lost all their recordings. But since they had given the institute copies, they were able to have copies made,” he said.
Mr Niles said that he would be carrying out an internal investigation to find out if work other than that of the institute was being done. He would be meeting with police detectives today.

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National

Monday Feb 12

Busted

By SHEILA LASIBORI
AN INSTITUTION, which has been storing PNG’s history since 1898, was busted by police last Friday.
The Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies was raided after a month-long Chin Hoi Meen (CHM) led-investigation, following reports that the institute was allegedly producing re-recordings of music recorded years ago.
The mastercopy cassettes are very hard to find in music shops as they had been outdated. Most of these are stringband music from around the country dating back many years .
It was also alleged that the cassette covers were photocopied – both in color and in black and white – and the cassettes put into cases and sold on the streets for K18 each.
This activity is deemed illegal under Copy Right laws.
Don Niles, the acting director and senior ethnomusicologist of the institute said he was surprised that the institute, which mainly keeps archives on PNG’s history, could be involved in any illegal activity.
He said the cassettes were being kept for archival purposes following arrangements with the recording companies that they could re-reproduce them if specifically requested by the members of public.
But according a copyright expert with CHM, there was “never” such arrangement with CHM, resulting in the investigation and the raid last Friday.
The raid resulted in the confiscation of 420 old original cassettes bearing the logos of recording studios like Pacific Gold Studios, Kalang Studios, NBC and CHM.
CHM staff and the trans national crime unit of the police force also confiscated a photocopy machine, scanner and about five machines believed to be unused in the re-recording of the cassettes from a room believed to be the studio.
The particular room was loaded with cassettes, most of them old, and other accessories believed to be used in the whole reproduction process.
A street seller of such old cassettes near the City Pharmacy shop was also apprehended and his cassettes confiscated but he managed to escape and is on the run.
The officer in charge of criminal investigations Supt Peter Guinness confirmed the raid and said staff at the institute would be interviewed today regarding the alleged illegal activity at the institute.
During a briefing with CHM staff prior to the raid, the head of CHM Raymond Chin said they first heard of alleged duplication and reproduction of the cassettes from the “street kids (artists)” themselves.
And the investigation started after rumours of such activity was first raised by businesses in East New Britain province following which other centres including Buka, Madang and the Highlands region also raised the same concern.
“Our concern is for the music industry. There is so many (pirating, duplication, reproduction) in the music industry and we cannot stop it. The musicians depend on the sales of the cassettes,” Mr Chin said, adding that when the cassettes, after recording are sold, a portion of the sale goes back to the artists and if such activities continue, the artists will lose as they will not benefit from the sales.
Mr Chin and his staff said the activity was mobile in that it moved from location to location.
The two locations – Way Back Trading (Ribz and Chips) Restaurant along Turumu Street at Boroko and the institute also at Boroko along Angau Drive, were raided after police successfully obtained two search warrants.

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National, Wed 14 feb.

Duo slapped with copyright infringements

By SHEILA LASIBORI
TWO staff members of the Institute of PNG Studies yesterday appeared before the Boroko District Court charged with breaches of the Copyright law.
Vincent Palie and Balthazar Moriguba were charged by police on Monday afternoon following a raid last Friday at the institute which netted old music cassettes and other equipment.
Palie, 43, of Chambri Lakes and Moriguba, 37, from Saure village, both in the East Sepik province, were charged under Section 4 (iv) and 28 of the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act of 2000.
The men are out on police bail of K200 each, pending their court appearances.
In last Friday’s raid by the authorities, 420 cassettes, bearing logos of recording studios including then Pacific Gold Studios, then Kalang Studios, NBC and CHM, were confiscated.
The raid followed a month-long Chin Hoi Meen-led investigation into reports that the institute was allegedly re-recording music from cassettes produced by bands through the various studios several years ago.
CHM staff and police from the transnational crime unit also confiscated a photocopy machine, scanner and five machines believed to be recorders, from a room believed to be the studio at the institute.
Many of the confiscated cassettes were recordings of stringband music from years ago, which are outdated and very difficult to find in music shops today.
It was also alleged that the cassette covers were photocopied – both in colour and black and white. Cassettes were put into these cases and were being sold on the streets for K18 each.
This activity was deemed illegal and a breach of the copyright laws in this country.

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National, tuesday 20 feb.

Niles rejects pirating claims

ACTING director of the Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies Don Niles has rejected accusations that the institute was involved in the pirating and distribution of PNG music.
Mr Niles said the institute did not condone activities which would be deemed to be in breach of the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Law 2000.
“This institution is against piracy of local or overseas musical recordings in any shape or form,” he said in a statement released yesterday.
He said the archival materials were for the documentation and preservation of PNG’s cultural heritage.
“We are not a commercial organisation and are not in competition with any recording studio.”
He said the institute was a part of the National Cultural Commission and was charged with the responsibility of research into, recording and interpreting all aspects of traditional culture; establishing a library of folklore and the systematic recording of the music of PNG with a view of establishing a tape and record library for such music.
He said the police report in the media alleging the confiscation of 420 pirated cassettes was inaccurate and misleading.
“The 324 cassettes taken from the institute are not pirated cassettes. They are cassettes deposited with us by the local recording companies, themselves, to help preserve a record of the musical history of this country,” he said.