Ilaiyaraaja. File
| Photo Credit: S.R. Raghunathan
The Madras High Court on Friday (September 26, 2025) directed Sony Music Entertainment India Private Limited to furnish, by October 22, the statement of accounts listing the revenue earned by it through the “commercial exploitation” of the songs composed by acclaimed musician R. Ilaiyaraaja.
Justice N. Senthilkumar issued the direction pursuant to a new civil suit filed by the musician against Sony Music, Echo Recording Company Private Limited, and New Jersey-based Oriental Records, alleging unauthorised commercial exploitation of his compositions.
While senior counsel S. Prabakaran argued the matter on behalf of the composer, senior counsel Vijay Narayan represented Sony Music. In his affidavit, Mr. Ilaiyaraaja said, he was reverred as Isaignani (musical genius) and maestro of music, reflecting his unparalleled stature in the world of music globally.
“I am an eminent Indian creator, music composer, conductor, arranger, lyricist, and playback singer, whose multifaceted contributions have profoundly shaped Tamilian, Indian, and global music landscape…. My career is distinguished by a prodigious and truly unparalleled body of work in global music history,” he said.
Claiming to have followed an autonomous approach to composition of film songs all through his career, the composer said: “I singularly conceive, develop, and execute my compositions with full creative independence, without external interference or prescribed instructions.”
He also said: “As such, my relationship with film producers and creative collaborators has always been on a principal-to-principal basis and never as an employee or under a ‘work for hire’ arrangement… I have consistently asserted and exercised my authorship and ownership over my original compositions.”
Stating that Echo Recording had been given the licence to sell only audio tapes (cassettes) and compact discs (CDs) containing his songs, Mr. Ilaiyaraaja said, Sony Music could not be allowed to exploit those songs through other digital media by claiming to have acquired the rights that were once held by Echo Recording.
The composer also doubted the authenticity of the documents through which Echo Recording had reportedly signed an assignment agreement in favour of Oriental Records on February 2, 2020; within 12 days thereafter, Sony Music had entered into a catalogue acquisition agreement with Oriental on February 14, 2020.
He also accused Sony Music of distorting his compositions by remastering them and then promoting them on its social media handles as well as other digital media. Since a composer would always have a moral right over his compositions, such distortions could not be permitted at all, he argued.
On the other hand, Mr. Narayan brought to the notice of Justice Senthilkumar that two cases on the same issue were already pending before a Division Bench of the Madras High Court and before the Bombay High Court, where the hearing was at an advanced stage and due to be heard next on October 16.
The senior counsel said, Mr. Ilaiyaraaja had failed in his attempt to get Sony Music’s suit transferred from the Bombay High Court to the Madras High Court and therefore, he has now chosen to file a new suit with an identical prayer, which the music label had sought from the Bombay High Court.
Mr. Narayan sought time to file a detailed counter affidavit to Mr. Ilaiyaraaja’s new case. The judge accepted his plea and directed the music company to file a statement of accounts during the next hearing of the case on October 22.
Published – September 26, 2025 03:18 pm IST
