CEBU CITY, PHILIPPINES — Jim Paredes recalled that the time when Apo Hiking Society was just starting out, they performed for audiences who would rather hear their covers of English songs than their original Filipino songs.
“We were booed just for performing our own OPM songs,” said Paredes in Filipino during a recent forum. “But we had to stick to our guns. As Danny Javier said, maybe if we can charm them by starting out with four cover songs, they’ll give us a chance to hear our original songs.”
It was the late Javier who coined the term “OPM,” or “Original Pilipino Music,” at a time when foreign songs dominated the radio airwaves in the ’70s.
“We forced OPM to our audiences,” added Paredes. “As much as I love The Beatles, and I can relate to their songs, they did not write this for me, they wrote it for the Brits. That’s why we needed to make songs for Filipinos. We must sing our own songs, and dance to our own songs. That has been my philosophy up to now. I may write a song in English or in Tagalog, but at least it’s OPM. You listen to a song from Rey Valera or any of our songs and you’ll know that’s coming from us, made for us, Filipinos.”
As a trustee of the Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (FILSCAP), Paredes shared his band’s story to explain why composers like him should be compensated whenever their songs are played in public, whether in business establishments or broadcast on television or radio.
“I remember the days when radio and TV stations would use music and not pay artists through royalties because they think they are already helping us by promoting our music. That’s old-fashioned thinking,” he said, noting that it is a standard practice around the world to compensate artists through royalties.
“Let’s accept the fact that property is property. With due respect to the owners of such property, they must be compensated if you use it,” he added.
Paredes was one of the guest panelists at FILSCAP’s open forum in Cebu City, “Music for Business Growth,” held on June 25 at Seda Ayala Center Cebu. The forum aimed to educate business owners on the importance of acquiring a music license in order to play copyrighted music in their establishments.
Joining Paredes were FILSCAP General Manager Mark Thursday Alciso, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) Assistant Chief Exequiel Valerio, and Bai Hotel Cebu Assistant Director for Marketing and Communications Carlo Rivera.
Since its founding in 1965, FILSCAP has been recognized by the Philippine government as the country’s sole non-profit collective management organization representing composers, songwriters and music publishers.
– Value of music –
The topic of AI-generated music was briefly discussed during Valerio’s presentation on intellectual property, including copyrighted music. It has become a growing concern among artists and rights holders because their copyrighted works are often used without authorization to train AI systems to generate a song.
This comes in light of songs like “Hawak ng Beat,” which went viral on social media despite controversy over whether it was AI-generated —an allegation its producer, Sylvain Hernandez, better known as DJ Mogo, has denied.
Valerio explained, “In order for AI to generate a song, it has to use existing data that is composed of millions of copyrighted works that are found online, and those works are being used without permission from their owners and without payment of royalties. That’s why many artists are against AI because their works are being used without permission and they are not paid for the use of their work to be part of the training data of their systems.”
Valerio said the IPOPHL is drafting an issuance on copyright and artificial intelligence, hoping to hold a public hearing before the end of the year. He said, “We are currently finishing our first draft, which will be open for public consultation soon, which we will announce soon.”
Valerio, a lawyer, also explained the legal framework governing copyrighted music and FILSCAP’s role in administering public performance rights, noting that the organization represents composers and publishers — both locally and internationally — by licensing the public use of their musical works and collecting royalties on their behalf.
A single commercially released song involves three separate rights that may be implicated when it is played in public: the musical composition, the performers’ rights, and the master recording owned by the producer or record label. A FILSCAP license covers only the musical composition.
“When you say that your rights are protected as a creator or author, it means that nobody can use your work without first asking for your permission. And in return, if you grant permission for that someone to use your work, you are entitled to receive royalties in exchange for the use of your work,” Valerio said.
He also addressed common misconceptions about playing copyrighted music in businesses. Owning a personal copy of a sound recording — whether on a CD, digital file or streaming service — does not give businesses the right to play it publicly without the appropriate license. Likewise, playing from a radio station does not exempt establishments from obtaining a license, since radio stations are licensed only to broadcast the music, not to authorize businesses to play it publicly.
Alcisio, who is also a lawyer, further explained FILSCAP’s role in issuing licenses that allow businesses to legally play copyrighted music. These licenses apply to radio stations, retail stores, malls, bars and restaurants, concerts, and public transportation operators.
FILSCAP’s blanket licensing rates, available on its website, vary depending on the type and size of the establishment, with separate rates for Metro Manila and the provinces. For example, a retail store in Cebu measuring 51 to 100 square meters would pay P5,317.17 annually to play copyrighted music.
“If you have an Italian restaurant and you want your customers to feel the ambience [through music], you have to ask permission [through a FILSCAP license],” Alciso said. “Using music is using someone else’s property because you’re using someone’s music to help your business.”
While FILSCAP continues to push for music licensing compliance nationwide, Alciso said the organization also has special considerations. They don’t expect jeepney operators and carinderias to obtain a license, while newly established small businesses may qualify for discounts and concessions during their first few years of operation.
“Legally, there is a basis to go after them but we are after the bigger businesses that could benefit from using music and that’s where FILSCAP steps in,” he said.
Paredes and Rivera also discussed how music can influence customer behavior and ultimately benefit businesses.
Paredes shared studies that showed how music can influence consumer behavior — from low-tempo music in restaurants encouraging diners to stay longer and spend more, to louder music in supermarkets prompting shoppers to move more quickly, and classical music in boutique stores subtly encouraging customers to purchase higher-priced items.
Rivera described music as an invisible amenity that guests consume continuously throughout their stay, influencing the atmosphere, beverage consumption, length of stay, and the likelihood of returning.
“Research has shown that music influences our mood and it changes the way we spend, like the drinks we bought in a bar. It shapes how guests feel, how long they stay, what they’ll remember and ultimately how they perceive a brand. What may seem like background music often becomes part of the experience itself,” Rivera said.
The topic of master recordings was also brought up during the open forum, which are typically owned by record labels rather than the artists themselves.
Valerio recalled the controversy surrounding the reissue of Wolfgang’s debut album on vinyl without the band’s permission.
“The frontman, Basti Artadi, was against releasing it on vinyl because based on their original contract with their former record label, they were paid very little in royalties. What the surviving band members did was to re-record their entire debut album and release it under an independent record label. They basically did what Taylor Swift did,” Valerio said.
Paredes shared that he also re-recorded Apo Hiking Society’s hit “Panalangin,” which he composed. He released his solo version during the period when the group had temporarily split, before he and Boboy Garovillo reunited as a duo.
“If you own the song’s composition, you can make as many versions as you want,” he said. “I got a million listeners for that version, so I was able to earn some money on my own because I own the song’s composition. That’s the value of owning the copyright of your own songs.”
| Written by JANUAR JUNIOR AGUJA/VAB
