Artists ask: Should we get paid for Dubsmash songs on TV?

MANILA, Philippines - Should artists be paid if their songs are used in a Dubsmash clip that is aired on television?

This is a concern discussed at the 6th Elements National Singing-Songwriting Camp at Hacienda Isabella in Indang, Cavite on Wednesday.

Songwriter Trina Belamide, Star Records executive Jonathan Manalo and singer-songwriter headed a panel discussion on how artists--specifically composer--get compensation every time their songs.

During the discussion, a participant of the music camp asked if they are aware of Dubsmash and how their songs are being used on the said social media service. 

Dubsmash is an application where a person can lip sync a few seconds of a song and upload it online.

Recently, Dubsmash has shot to fame thanks to Alden Richards and Maine "Yaya Dub" Mendoza and their Kalyeserye segment on the GMA-7 noontime show "Eat Bulaga."

The Kalyeserye segment features Alden and Maine (as Yaya Dub) talking to via Dubsmash, or by lip syncing to each other a number of songs for a few seconds.

Some of the songs used during the popular segment include James Reid and Nadine Lustre's "Bahala Na," Bryan White's "God Gave Me You," Kim Chiu's "Mr. Right," Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" and "Now That I Have You" by The CompanY.

Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza during the "Tamang Panahon" event of GMA-7's "Eat Bulaga" last October. The tandem's use of Dubsmash on "Eat Bulaga" has prompted a number of composers and artists to ask if they should be compensated if their songs are aired on television, even if just for a Dubsmash clip. Photo from 'Eat Bulaga' Facebook page

What artists want to know now, with the advent of Dubsmash as a popular medium on television: should they be paid for songs used on Dubsmash clips aired on television and other monitized media? And if yes, how so?

The panel explains that Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Producers, Inc. (Filscap) monitors how artists are compensated for every use of their song. 

Every time a song is used on a television show or a movie, for instance, the person or organization using the song will have to pay Filscap. It will then pay the composer of the song.

According to Belamide, television networks pay Filscap a "blanket fee" every year. The organization then monitors and tally the songs used by the networks.

Filscap then computes the total usage and rate for the use of the songs per composer, author and producer and pay them using the blanket fee given by the networks.

In the case of Dubsmash, Filscap committee head Belamide and Filscap President Noel Cabangon said they hope artists do get paid for it.

"Gusto ko rin malaman how I can make money (from it)," she said, but clarified that she feels "great" that her song is being used for such purposes.

"I'm glad they use it, pero I'm charging you for it," she added. "I'm just confident na it'll come to the point na that's money for me."

Cabangon said that Filscap is still discussing some artists' issue about Dubsmash.

"We have really haven't decided on it," he said in an interview with Philstar.com. "Hindi ko pa alam ang detalye ng nilapit sa amin na case. So ang Filscap naman, since member namin ang nagke-claim, we really have to look at the case and we'll see what we can do based on our mandate and rates."

As for his pesonal opinion, Cabangon said the artists should be paid if their songs are used in a Dubsmash clip since it's considered as "public performance" if the user earns money from it.

The Elements music camp will end tomorrow.