The issues of copyright in musical works and royalties for songwriters at Taja Archive Sdn. Bhd.: a case study on Awi Rafael, Adi Priyo, Adeep Nahar and Shathesh

This thesis examines the practical copyright and royalty issues experienced by Malaysian songwriters within the publishing setting of Taja Archive Sdn. Bhd. (TASB), focusing on four selected cases: Awi Rafael, Adi Priyo, Adeep Nahar, and Shathesh. The study aims to (i) document the copyright and royalty problems that arise in practice for songwriters under TASB, and (ii) clarify how publisher–songwriter contracts and working relationships influence copyright ownership, rights administration, and royalty outcomes. A qualitative case study design was employed using purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the four songwriters and relevant stakeholders (publisher, MyIPO, and MACP) and through document review of royalty-related records and dispute materials, including correspondence, invoices, and meeting minutes connected to Adi Priyo’s case. Interview and documentary data were analysed using thematic analysis and document analysis, supported by triangulation to strengthen interpretation across sources. Findings indicate that the core “royalty problem” is often not simply non-payment, but limited transparency and verification. Songwriters face difficulty confirming what has been collected, how calculations were derived, and whether the correct rights holders were identified due to incomplete or delayed reporting and restricted access to historical statements. The cases also show that contract clarity and publisher performance shape outcomes: unclear rights grants, revenue categories, splits, and reversion/release processes can create ownership ambiguity and downstream distribution disputes. Documentary evidence from Adi Priyo’s dispute illustrates how weak documentation and delayed reporting can prolong recovery of backdated royalties even when parties agree to correct registrations. The thesis recommends strengthening contract terms and documentation practices, improving reporting completeness and explainability, and enhancing verification and dispute-handling pathways to support fairer and more transparent royalty management for Malaysian songwriters.