Indonesia Eliminates Copyright Registration Fees for Music to Enhance National Database and Royalty Distribution

Indonesia is set to remove the registration fee for songs and musical compositions, effective August 1, 2026, as part of a government initiative to build a more robust national music database. The Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DJKI), under the Ministry of Law, announced that the fee to log a song or musical work will be reduced from 200,000 rupiah (approximately USD $11) to zero.

This change is codified in Government Regulation No. 30 of 2026 concerning the state’s non-tax revenue (PNBP) at the Ministry of Law, which was signed by President Prabowo Subianto on July 2, 2026. The fee waiver applies solely to music-related works; registration fees for other creative categories such as books, photography, and film remain unchanged.

DJKI frames the fee elimination as a strategic investment to populate the Pusat Data Lagu dan/atau Musik (PDLM), Indonesia’s national database for songs and music. This database is intended to serve as the foundation for fair, transparent, and accountable royalty governance.

Hermansyah Siregar, Director General of Intellectual Property, emphasized the significance of the policy, stating, “The registration fee waiver for songs and/or music is a state investment to build a more complete national music database.” He added that increasing the number of registered works strengthens the database, which underpins copyright protection and royalty distribution mechanisms for creators, performers, and related rights holders.

Currently, Indonesia is estimated to have around 7 million songs and musical works, but only approximately 26,000 are registered in the PDLM. This figure represents data from just two of Indonesia’s 17 collecting societies, with the remaining 15 yet to be integrated into the system.

The limited registration creates challenges in identifying rights ownership and ensuring that royalties reach the rightful recipients. To address this, the registered data will be integrated with SILM, the information system of Lembaga Manajemen Kolektif Nasional (LMKN), Indonesia’s national collective management organization.

The registration process is conducted electronically via the POP HC (Persetujuan Otomatis Pencatatan Hak Cipta) system, which translates to Automatic Approval of Copyright Recording.

Siregar clarified that the fee waiver for music registration does not indicate any reduction in protection for other types of creative works. “This is a manifestation of the government’s seriousness in building a comprehensive national database for songs and music as a foundation for royalty governance,” he said. “Therefore, the government is presenting this affirmative policy without reducing its commitment to protecting all types of creative work.”

This policy shift reflects Indonesia’s commitment to strengthening intellectual property infrastructure in the music sector, facilitating better royalty management, and supporting creators and rights holders through improved data accuracy and accessibility.